RASC News Agency: In its most recent annual report, the United States Department of State reiterated its stance that the U.S. will not recognize the Taliban. According to the report, which was published recently, the U.S. has not yet made a decision on recognizing the Taliban or any other entity as the “government of Afghanistan.”
The report highlights that the Taliban have issued decrees that conflict with Afghanistan’s laws and the country’s international treaty commitments. According to the report, the situation for women and girls deteriorated in 2023; they have not only been deprived of the right to work and study but have also been confined to their homes due to multiple Taliban decrees.
The report emphasizes human rights violations such as killings, severe physical abuse, harsh and life-threatening conditions for women, arbitrary arrests and abductions, disappearances, arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy, and the punishment of family members for alleged offenses committed by relatives. The report points out administrative corruption, strict restrictions on domestic and international human rights organizations, gender-based violence including domestic violence, forced marriages, and other forms of abuse.
The U.S. State Department noted that violence and threats against ethnic and religious minorities, including Hazaras, Sikhs, Hindus, Shias, Salafis, Ahmadis, and LGBTQ+ individuals, continue under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The report states that the rule of law is widely disregarded in Afghanistan under Taliban control, and those identified as human rights violators are shielded from punishment.
The U.S. Department of State added that, according to credible reports, even children under the age of 12 were recruited by the Taliban and ISIS-K for combat last year. Moreover, under the Taliban’s governance, foreign nationals, NGO healthcare workers, and civilians are threatened, looted, and kidnapped by armed groups.
While the Taliban have yet to respond to the report, they have previously denied all allegations of human rights violations in Afghanistan under their rule. The State Department’s report on human rights covers nearly 200 countries and territories, including Gaza.
