Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has dismissed recent reports on the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and the state of human rights and women’s rights under Taliban rule as “baseless accusations”.
While Muttaqi did not specify which reports he was referring to, he questioned the validity of assessments made from afar.
“How is it possible to make a report about something while thousands of miles away?” he asked during a meeting in Kabul. He argued that these assessments are based on information from “certain sources” who are enemies of “Afghanistan.”
These statements come in the wake of a recent UN report citing a member state’s claim that between 5,000 to 6,500 fighters of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are present in Afghanistan, with strong support from the Taliban. The report also highlighted the presence of al-Qaeda among two dozen active groups in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
Since the Taliban’s return to power, they have banned girls and women from attending schools above grade six, universities, and working at NGOs. As part of their recent restrictions, the Taliban have reduced the salaries of all female servants to 5,000 Afghanis, effectively forcing them to stay home.
“We say that the judgment and allegations you make regarding Afghanistan [Taliban], sometimes about human rights, sometimes about women’s rights, and sometimes about the presence of al-Qaeda and other groups, based on which mechanism did you make this judgment and information?” Muttaqi questioned. He urged countries to reopen their embassies and monitor the situation in Afghanistan more closely.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Western countries have suspended their embassies in Kabul, continuing operations from third countries.
On Tuesday, Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Kabir claimed that the Taliban have complete control over Afghanistan and that no other group is active in the country. “Not even a single village is controlled by the enemy… it is not an exaggeration but a fact,” he asserted during a meeting.
