- The first major gathering of the Taliban in power in Afghanistan ended without any notable progress on women’s rights or political participation.
- More than 3,000 hand-picked male scholars, influential people and tribal representatives of the militant Islamist group came together in Kabul.
- Despite several attacks by the enemy terrorist militia IS, the three-day meeting continued under strict security precautions.
The final statement on Saturday was largely about formally recognizing the Taliban government that installed itself after the violent takeover in August 2021 and demonstrating allegiance to supreme leader Haibatullah Achundsada.
In addition, the international community was called on to recognize the Taliban government and release frozen accounts with state funds. Achundsada proclaimed that he would enforce the law of God in Afghanistan, even if the world took action against the Taliban with a nuclear bomb. So far, no country has recognized the Taliban regime.
disappointment for women
At the same time, representatives of the Taliban held talks with a US delegation in Qatar’s capital, Doha. The US special envoy for Afghan women and girls, Rina Amiri, had “disappointed” refused to attend.
So far, international engagement has not yielded any meaningful breakthroughs for Afghan women, girls and other vulnerable populations, Amiri tweeted on Saturday.