Afghanistan: Taliban rejects claims of interference in aid distribution
Sep 05, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], September 5 : Refuting the claims, the Taliban has denied any intervention in the distribution of humanitarian supplies in Afghanistan and has argued that relief organisations have curtailed their contributions owing to a shortage of funding, reported TOLOnews.
In a reaction to the Security Council report, Zabiullah Mujahid has said, "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not interfere in the affairs of any institution to disrupt their work. We and our military are obliged to ensure their security."
Notably, the Security Council report has stated the "Taliban's" policies and practises have further hindered attempts to react to Afghanistan's humanitarian catastrophe, TOLOnews reported.
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan stated that the reason for the cut in aid to Afghanistan was a shortage of cash, emphasising that they only got 25 per cent of the money sought this year.
However, in a separate statement, the Taliban's deputy of the Ministry of Economy, Abdul Latif Nazari said, “Our demand of aid agencies within the international community, especially to the United Nations, is to not consider political issues in humanitarian and development aid.”
Lamenting his plight, Jawed, a Kabul resident, amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has said, “It is true that the aid of the international community comes to Afghanistan, but it does not reach needy people."
Notably, Afghanistan, under the Taliban, is facing its worst humanitarian crisis and the women of the country are denied fundamental rights. According to a World Food Programme assessment, Afghanistan is one of the nations with extreme food insecurity, with nine million people affected by severe economic difficulties and hunger.
Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the law and order situation in the country has only deteriorated, with the rise in cases of terrorism and blasts.
The group banned women from going to schools. Later in December last year, they banned women from going to universities and working with aid agencies. Earlier this year, the Taliban also imposed a ban on salons, which were a major employment source for women.
