KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban have accused the United Nations of lacking independence, saying that their representative will take Afghanistan’s seat at the global body if the U.N. makes a decision without external influence.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban, said they have made efforts to engage with the international community but claimed that some countries are obstructing their recognition.
“If the United Nations’ decision is influenced by the policies of countries involved in Afghanistan’s war, then the problem lies with them,” Fitrat told Taliban-run national television. “Afghanistan [the Taliban] has fulfilled its responsibilities.”
More than three years after seizing power, the Taliban remain unrecognized by any country, largely due to their systematic restrictions on women’s rights, their exclusion of political opposition, and their ties to militant groups.
The latest diplomatic setback came when a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested arrest warrants for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and the group’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, for “gender-based persecution and crimes against humanity.” The request has been endorsed by nine countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and South Korea, which accused the Taliban of institutionalizing “a system of gender-based discrimination, harassment, and oppression.”
As the Taliban continue to seek legitimacy on the global stage, divisions remain among world powers over how to engage with the group.
At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Monday, Russia’s envoy, Vasily Nebenzya, criticized Western countries for failing to adopt what he called a pragmatic approach toward the Taliban. He warned that isolating the group through sanctions and aid cuts could backfire.
“After nearly four years of Taliban rule, Afghanistan has not descended into civil war or collapsed, despite international sanctions and a humanitarian crisis,” Nebenzya said.
Moscow has maintained diplomatic ties with the Taliban while urging them to form an inclusive government. Though Russia has not officially recognized the group, it has opposed efforts to isolate them and has emphasized Afghanistan’s stability as crucial to regional security.
Meanwhile, the United States remains firm in its rejection of normalization with the Taliban.
Dorothy Shea, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, said Washington does not trust the Taliban and sees no possibility of restoring relations.
“We cannot build confidence with a group that unjustly detains Americans, harbors terrorist organizations, and ignores the basic rights of its own people,” Shea said.
