RASC News Agency: Reports indicate that Khairullah Khairkhwa, the Taliban’s Minister of Information and Culture, who has been listed under UN Security Council sanctions, traveled to Russia on Tuesday. According to a Taliban statement, Khairkhwa is set to participate in a four-day conference titled “Union of Cultures” in Saint Petersburg.
Khairkhwa was added to the UN sanctions list in 2001. In recent months, there has been a marked increase in foreign trips by senior Taliban officials. Over the past six months, Taliban leaders, including Mullah Mohammad Hassan, the Prime Minister; Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister; Abdul Kabir, Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs; Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Defense Minister; Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister; Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Head of Intelligence; Nada Mohammad Nadim, the Minister of Higher Education; and Habibullah Agha, the Minister of Education, have traveled abroad, notably to Russia, Qatar, the UAE, Iran, Uzbekistan, Cameroon, Turkmenistan, and several other countries.
Despite all these officials being subject to UN sanctions, including travel bans, arms embargoes, and asset freezes, their international engagements have increased. The UN Security Council initially imposed sanctions on the Taliban in November 1999, targeting the group’s assets, travel, and access to arms. These measures were in response to the Taliban’s refusal to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to the United States. Over time, these sanctions, initially aimed at al-Qaeda, were expanded to cover the Taliban as well.
Moreover, UN Security Council Resolution 1988, passed in 2011, introduced additional sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Taliban, with the goal of supporting peace and stability in Afghanistan. However, despite the Taliban’s intensifying restrictions and human rights violations over the past three years, certain countries continue to overlook these abuses, engaging with the Taliban leadership and extending invitations for diplomatic talks.
