KABUL, Afghanistan — Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister for economic affairs, traveled to Uzbekistan on Saturday, leading a high-level delegation, Taliban officials said.
A statement from Baradar’s office said the visit aims to strengthen political, economic, trade, and transit ties between the two countries and to attract investment from Uzbek businesses.
The delegation includes several key Taliban officials, among them Hedayatullah Badri, the minister of mines and petroleum; Hamidullah Akhundzada, the minister of transport and aviation; Nooruddin Azizi, the minister of industry and commerce; and Noor Ahmad Agha, the head of the Taliban’s central bank.
Nearly all members of the delegation, including Baradar, remain under United Nations travel sanctions. A U.N. Security Council resolution prohibits blacklisted individuals from traveling abroad, though exemptions can be granted for diplomatic, medical, or religious purposes.
Baradar previously traveled to Qatar under a Security Council exemption for medical treatment. The U.N.’s policy of allowing sanctioned Taliban leaders to travel in certain cases has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations.
