KABUL, Afghanistan — Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, traveled to Uzbekistan on Thursday, despite being subject to a United Nations travel ban.
Baradar will attend the opening of the Termiz International Trade Center in Uzbekistan, according to Taliban statement. Representatives from Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are also expected to be present at the event. He is accompanied by Taliban governor of Balkh Yusuf Wafa and Taliban commerce minister Nooruddin Azizi.
This trip marks the latest instance of Taliban leaders traveling abroad while on the UN sanctions list. Earlier this week, Taliban officials Amir Khan Muttaqi and Hedayatullah Badri also made international trips, despite being similarly restricted by UN sanctions.
The Termiz International Trade Center is located in the city of Termiz, near the border with Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The opening comes as Afghanistan’s trade and transit activities with neighboring countries have seen a sharp decline since the Taliban regained power.
Pakistani media reported this week that Afghanistan’s transit trade with Pakistan has decreased by 59 percent over the past year.
