A two-day conference on the country that returned under Taliban control ended yesterday. Uzbekistan, which suffered another missile attack earlier this month claimed by the Islamic State, underlined the efforts of Koranic students to improve socio-economic conditions. The reality of the facts, however, is very different and the critical situation of respect for human rights has not changed.
Tashkent ( / Agencies) – An international conference on “security and economic development” in Afghanistan ended yesterday in the capital of Uzbekistan, attended by more than 100 delegations from nearly 30 countries.
There were no surprises in the statements of the various envoys. The summit closed with the customary declarations of intent from the international community and with the usual requests from the Taliban: the former demand respect for women’s rights, an inclusive government and the promise that the country will not be used to protect organizations terrorists like al Qaeda; the latter want international legitimacy and the unfreezing of funds from the previous Afghan government, to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people, they say.
Before the Taliban reconquest in August last year, almost 80% of the national budget was financed by the international community. According to a study of Save the Children which was published yesterdaymore than 13 million children are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, while a Amnesty International report documents human rights violations against women from September 2021 to June 2022. According to the report, “Taliban policies create a system of repression that discriminates against Afghan women and girls in all aspects of their lives.”
It should be noted that the meeting was held in Uzbekistan, a country that in recent months has suffered several attacks from Afghan soil in the southern regions. Despite the Taliban’s denial, numerous investigations claim that at least 20 militant groups have bases or roots in the country.
The last United Nations Security Council report reveals alarming details about the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and partly confirms the concerns of neighboring countries: “Al-Qaeda members remain in the south and east of Afghanistan, where the group has historically been present.” The organization, he continues, “enjoys greater freedom in Afghanistan under the Taliban government, but is limited to advising and supporting the de facto authorities.”
The main short-term threat continues to be the local branch of the Islamic State (Islamic State Khorasan or IS-K), which “has increased its presence in the north and east of Afghanistan.” On July 5, five missiles launched from Afghanistan hit the Uzbek city of Termez. Similar attacks had already occurred in April also against Tajikistan. The IS-K has always claimed responsibility for these attacks with the purpose of “undermining the credibility of the Taliban security forces, demonstrating the ability to control the borders and attract new recruits to the region,” say the UN experts. .
It is therefore evident that the Central Asian countries are interested in normalizing relations with the Taliban. The entire region (but we can also include Russia and China) fears above all that the violence in Afghanistan will spread to neighboring countries.
“The international isolation of Afghanistan will inevitably lead to a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. It is important not to allow that to happen, as the fate of millions of people is at stake,” Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said through his special envoy. . “The interim government of Afghanistan is taking steps in terms of peaceful reconstruction, strives to improve the socio-economic situation and establish friendly relations with neighboring countries and mutually beneficial cooperation with the international community. We must promote and support these efforts,” he continued, not forgetting to mention Western demands for respect for human rights and the creation of an inclusive government.
But the issue of Afghanistan seems like a dialogue for the deaf: today the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, in a meeting with the provincial governors of Kandahar, demonstrated once again that the Taliban have not changed, stressing “the need to preserve the Islamic values” and called for the “implementation of sharia, stating that laws made by human beings are not acceptable and any problem must be resolved by Islamic law,” ToloNews reported.
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