UN says Taliban pledge to cooperate with aid efforts

The United Nations says the Taliban have vowed to offer all necessary cooperation with the humanitarian efforts that are aimed at Afghanistan.

The group that rose back to power in the country last month made the pledge during a meeting in Kabul on Sunday with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. The UN envoy has travelled to the Afghan capital at the request of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to address the predicaments that face relief efforts.

“The authorities (the Taliban) pledged that the safety and security of humanitarian staff, and humanitarian access to people in need, will be guaranteed,” Guterres’ Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement. 

The group also offered guarantees for humanitarian workers, whether men or women’s freedom of movement during any such relief endeavor.

“The authorities committed to cooperate with the humanitarian community to ensure assistance is delivered to the people of Afghanistan,” the statement added.

According to Dujarric the Taliban, meanwhile, agreed to hold further meetings with Griffiths to address the situation concerning aid efforts in more details.

The Taliban remerged as Afghanistan’s rulers after an extensive months-long offensive won them control of most of the country’s provinces, paving the way for the fall of Kabul.

The United States had unexpectedly announced the end of its two-decades-long military presence amidst the Central Asian nation in April, only facilitating the group’s resurgence.

The US even ended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan although the Taliban had guaranteed security for all diplomatic staff members. 

Washington’s washing its hands clean of a country, which it used to occupy for years on end, comes as the UN warns about the humanitarian situation there.

“Afghanistan faces a looming humanitarian catastrophe,” Dujarric noted, saying, “Now more than ever, the people of Afghanistan need the support and solidarity of the international community.”

ME