Taliban Calls for Lifting of International Sanctions Against the Group

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of the Taliban, has called for the lifting of international sanctions against the group. He stated that the continuation of sanctions against the Taliban “violates the rights of Afghans.”

On the previous day, members of the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to extend the mission of the committee overseeing sanctions on the Taliban for another 14 months.

According to the Bakhtar News Agency, under Taliban control, Hamdullah Fitrat said on Saturday that the continuation of sanctions against the Taliban is “contrary to the principles of human rights.” He added that the Taliban seeks positive engagement with the United Nations.

On Friday, the Security Council, with the unanimous agreement of its 15 members, passed a resolution to extend the 1988 sanctions against the Taliban. As a result, the Taliban will remain subject to UN sanctions for over another year.

In Friday’s session of the Security Council, the sanctions against the Taliban—including the freezing of assets, travel bans, and targeted arms embargoes—were reaffirmed.