PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban has demanded the United States to remove the names of Haqqani Network leaders from the blacklist, saying the Network is part of the Islamic Emirate.
The Taliban has said in a statement that some members of the Islamic Emirate’s cabinet and Jalaluddin Haqqani’s family are still being targeted in violation of the Doha agreement with the United States signed on 29 February 2020.
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Earlier, commenting on the new Afghan government, the State Department said that the United States was concerned over the inclusion of some individuals in the Taliban’s interim government. Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Hassan Akhund is on the UN sanctions list and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani is on the FBI’s blacklist.
“This position of the United States is not only a violation of the Doha Agreement but also neither in interests of the US nor Afghanistan,” a statement from the Afghan Taliban said. “Haqqani’s family is part of the Islamic Emirate and has no separate name or organization.” The Taliban demanded that their names be removed from the UN and US blacklists, saying that the US and other countries are making provocative statements and interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The Haqqani network is on the list of terrorist organizations in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights organization, has demanded that Taliban to stop violence against media persons and rights activists. The HRW said that the authorities in Afghanistan are arresting, torturing and imposing new sanctions on journalists.
In a statement issued Thursday, the HRW called on the Taliban to end the violence, lift sanctions and ensure action against those who tortured protesters and journalists. The HRW’s condemnation comes as two journalists, Taqi Daryabi and Nemat Naqdi, were detained and tortured by the Taliban during a demonstration in Kabul.