Taliban Administration Urges Security Council to Revise Its View of Afghanistan

Ahead of the Sept. 16 UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, a media outlet close to the Taliban administration has written that Kabul wants a review of how Afghanistan’s situation is assessed and how international bodies, especially UNAMA, engage with the country. The focus of this request, it said, is moving away from what the Taliban administration calls “outdated assumptions” and “selective narratives.”

Kabul Times, a media outlet close to the Taliban administration, reported that the Security Council’s quarterly review could affect how the situation in Afghanistan is interpreted and the future of cooperation with the United Nations. The outlet also claimed that the Taliban administration is seeking a “clearer recognition of the country’s political reality” and more constructive engagement with international institutions.

According to the outlet, the Taliban administration insists that UNAMA’s mandate should be “effective, balanced and aligned with Afghanistan’s national plans.” Kabul Times added that the Taliban administration wants Afghanistan to have a place in international forums that it considers “real.”

The outlet further wrote that a major part of global discussions remains focused on women’s rights and humanitarian issues, subjects that have been among the main points of criticism of the Taliban administration’s performance over nearly the past three years. However, quoting the Taliban administration, Kabul Times said these assessments should be “measured, comprehensive and based on internal trends” and should not focus only on challenges.

Kabul Times also criticized a previous Security Council report that spoke of “limited progress in the political process,” calling it “incomplete.” Quoting the Taliban administration, the outlet claimed the administration has made progress in administrative, security and internal affairs, and said UNAMA should reflect these points in its reporting as well.

The report concluded that the upcoming meeting could offer an opportunity to change the international community’s approach toward Afghanistan, an approach that, according to the outlet, should strengthen cooperation in areas such as humanitarian aid, development planning and regional connectivity. The UN Security Council regularly reviews the situation in Afghanistan, and UNAMA’s mandate is one of the permanent topics of these meetings.