KABUL, Afghanistan – The United States is considering whether to extend a Trump-era waiver that allows certain Islamic Emirate officials to continue to travel abroad, sources said.
Former US President Donald Trump lifted travel sanctions on the Islamic Emirate’s leaders for a temporary period of time, which will end on Monday, to facilitate peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
“The Biden administration is locked in a fierce internal debate over whether to extend a Trump-era waiver that would allow select Taliban officials to travel abroad as they grapple with how to pressure the regime on Afghanistan’s deteriorating human rights situation,” Foreign Policy said.
Meanwhile, Heather Barr, director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch said that the travel ban exception on the Islamic Emirate’s officials means a lack of commitment to Afghan women, according to local media.
But the Islamic Emirate exclaimed the use of force option in Kabul will not bring positive results, urging for engagement approach.
“The force elements were used during the past 20 years but they didn’t have any positive result,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate. “I believe that the international community should understand this issue to solve the problems via engagement.”
The UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan human rights Richard Bennett is expected to speak at the European Union during his visit to Brussels.
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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is struggling to whether adjust with the ongoing sanctions regime against the so-called Islamic Emirate government, according to reports, saying “it’s a consequential decision.”
In June of 2022, the UN Security Council must decide whether to adjust the current regime of sanctions against leadership of the Islamic Emirate, said the Hill, a US Washingon-focused news outlet.
The sanctions for many years had included a ban on the leadership’s international travel, which the Security Council suspended in April 2019 for the sake of a “reconciliation” process.
The Hill wrote that Islamic Emirate’s leaders used their travel freedom to cut separate deals with Russia, China and other neighbors, reinforcing their government while “refusing to negotiate with the elected Afghan government officials.”
