US anger over Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul key motive for Taliban journey ban | World News

As anger over al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul was one of many essential causes behind the choice to not lengthen a United Nations waiver permitting Taliban officers to journey overseas, individuals conversant in the matter mentioned.

Zawahri, who led the fear community following the loss of life of Osama bin Laden in 2011, was killed in a US drone strike in Kabul on August 1. On the time, Zawahiri was sheltering in a home in central Kabul owned by a high aide to Taliban deputy chief and inside minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

In June, a UN Safety Council sanctions committee at the moment led by India voted to take away two middle-ranking Taliban leaders from a sanctions exemption checklist due to the Taliban’s failure to ship on pledges to guard the rights of girls and kids.

When the renewal of the sanctions exemption checklist for 13 different Taliban leaders got here up earlier than the sanctions committee final month, the US proposed re-imposing the journey ban on seven Taliban leaders and retaining the exemption for six others whereas limiting their journey to Qatar, the individuals mentioned.

Russia and China opposed the US transfer and proposed that each one 13 Taliban leaders be given exemptions from the journey ban for 3 months as a way to journey to Russia, China, Qatar, and unspecified regional international locations. Nonetheless, the joint Russia-China proposal was opposed by France and the UK, the individuals mentioned.

With no settlement between the 15 members of the UN Safety Council, the journey waiver expired on August 19.

“There was rising concern within the US facet on the Taliban regime’s repeated failures to ship on commitments relating to the rights of girls, kids and minorities. The anger over Zawahiri being present in Kabul added to that and led to the choice to limit the actions of Taliban leaders,” one of many individuals cited above mentioned.

“Any more, each request for overseas journey by Taliban leaders can be taken up individually by the sanctions committee and selections made on a case-by-case foundation. With out clearance, they are going to be unable to journey,” a second individual mentioned.

In recent times, concern has grown within the US, a number of European international locations, and even in India in regards to the Taliban management misusing the journey waiver.

“Even earlier than their takeover of Kabul, the Taliban leaders who benefited from the journey waiver had been visiting international locations the place that they had no actual enterprise,” a 3rd individual mentioned, pointing to visits to Central Asian international locations and Iran by leaders who had been granted an exemption from the journey ban.

The US had determined to permit some Taliban leaders to journey to Qatar because the American administration has had most of its dealings with the group in Doha, the place the Taliban have had a political workplace since 2012.

Specialists have mentioned the Taliban’s refusal to convey their setup in Kabul consistent with worldwide legal guidelines and norms leaves few choices however to impose sanctions. “As a lot as you supply latitude to the Taliban, they assume that’s a mirrored image of their power they usually present no dedication to worldwide norms,” Shinkai Karokhail, a former Afghan lawmaker, advised VOA just lately.