The Taliban held their fourth Cabinet meeting in Kandahar ahead of the four-year anniversary of their return to power, where their leader focused on Taliban-run religious madrassas.
The meeting, led by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, focused on expanding oversight of Taliban-run religious schools and enforcing what they describe as a “Sharia system.”
The statement made no mention of reopening girls’ schools, improving the situation for women, or addressing Afghanistan’s economic crisis and high unemployment.
The Taliban have held one Cabinet meeting each year since returning to power in August 2021. This year’s gathering emphasized implementing the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia, reviewing the status of prisoners in Taliban jails, assessing mosques, madrassas and universities, and strengthening Taliban-run religious schools.
Meanwhile, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett, speaking at a virtual event marking the fourth anniversary of Kabul’s fall, said the Taliban have ignored international demands and continued policies of repression.
“The Taliban, without any legitimacy, have established a violent system with deeply institutionalized gender repression, silenced media, marginalized and isolated women, and blatantly violated human rights,” Bennett said. “Accepting Taliban repression as a reality is not only wrong, but dangerous.”
Many Afghans have said the Taliban’s meetings fail to address the urgent needs of the population, focusing instead on consolidating the group’s own power.
