Matiul Haq Khalis, Head of Afghanistan’s Red Crescent Society, a Taliban-controlled aid agency, is in Geneva on a six-day visit for meetings with various organizations from different countries, ARCS said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, told Amu that Khalis will attend meetings with the officials of national organizations from various countries.
While Taliban officials are largely banned from traveling abroad, Khalis’ name is not included on the UN’s sanctions list of leaders.
According to ARCS, Khalis will also meet with “representatives of charitable foundations of other countries.”
“The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the financial challenges of humanitarian aid at the global level and explore potential solutions,” ARCS said.
Who is Khalis and how did he get to be head of ARCS?
According to sources close to Khalis, he is the son of Mohammad Younus Khalis, a former Jihadi leader in Afghanistan.
Younus Khalis was from Khogyani district of Nangarhar province. He founded a Jihadi party named “Hizb-e Islami Khalis”. His party was mostly active in the southern provinces.
The source said some of the Taliban’s leaders including Mullah Akhtar Mansour, former leader of the Taliban; Hibatullah Akhundzada, current leader of the Taliban; Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the Haqqani network; Mullah Hassan Akhund, chief minister of the Taliban; Mullah Rabbani Akhund, former chief minister of the Taliban; Mullah Dadullah Akhund, former Taliban official; Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, former defense minister of Taliban; Maulana Abdul Raziq, former Taliban minister of commerce and many other influential Taliban officials were initially part of Younus Khalis’ party.
Younus Khalis had two sons; Anwarul Haq Khalis and Matiullah Khalis.
Matiullah Khalis became a member of the Taliban political office in Qatar based on a quota that the Taliban had considered for the family of Khalis. After the Taliban returned to power, he was appointed as head of ARCS.
Khalis attended madrassas in Peshawar and has no military background.
Khalis is now visiting Geneva in a bid to attract support from foreign states for the Taliban.
A source privy to the issue meanwhile told Amu that ARCS gets money from the passport department. At least 2,000 afghanis per passport paid by applicants is diverted to ARCS.
The Taliban charges applicants 6,700 afghanis per passport.
During the former republican government, two percent of customs revenue went to fund ARCS. The organization now has 4,000 employees across Afghanistan.
After taking over Afghanistan, the Taliban increased the cost of electronic identity cards to 500 afghanis. For every 500 afghanis earned, 100 afghanis also goes to ARCS.
