Daily Times

The United Nations Security Council committee overseeing sanctions has removed Taliban negotiators from an international blacklist as part of a bid to press for reconciliation in war-torn Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said late Thursday.

Most of the Taliban leaders, including 14-member negotiation team, had been under UN sanctions and lifting of sanctions was one of the Taliban’s longstanding demands. They had also raised the issue during talks with the US.

The UN decision came at a time when the Taliban and the US are involved in peace talks in Qatar. “This is true,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Daily Times when a question was posted on his WhatsApp that if the UN has removed sanctions from the Taliban leaders. “I do not have more details but I can confirm removal of the names of the negotiation team from the UN black list,” Mujahid further said.

There was no word from the UN and the permanent members on the issue.

Taliban officials used social media to congratulate each other on the development.

Taliban sources said the names of the negotiators have been removed ‘temporarily’ and that they have also been assured of lifting of sanctions permanently.

China and Russia had earlier agreed to a flexible approach to remove certain Taliban figures from the UN sanctions lists as part of efforts to foster a dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban.

Taliban political commission head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is among the leaders whose names have been cleared by the UN, the sources said.

Others members of the negotiation team include: Sher Abbas Stanikzai, Mullah Amir Khan Mutaqi, Mullah Fazil Mazloom, Mullah Khairullah Khair Khwa, Mullah Noorullah Noor, Mullah Abdul Haq Waseeq, Maulvi Ziaul Rahman Madani, Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Sheikh Shahabuddin Dilawar and Abdul Latif Mansoor.

The Kabul administration raised objections at the participation of the Taliban negotiators in the intra-Afghan meeting in Moscow early February on the plea that they cannot travel due to sanctions. The Afghan government also formally complained to the UN when the Taliban announced that their political envoys would meet US envoy Khalilzad and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad in mid-February. Imran Khan later cancelled the meeting in view of opposition by the Afghan government.

The UN move is seen as a major confidence building measure at a time when the Taliban and the US are holding talks and a new round is expected most likely later this month. The decision will enable Taliban leaders to travel out of Qatar.

Both sides had made progress on the issues of withdrawal of foreign troops and to prevent Afghan soil from terrorism during their last round on Feb 25-March 12. However, they could not strike any deal.