Afghanistan's UN Ambassador Pleads Case At Security Council
Millions of Afghan people face an "extremely uncertain future," envoy says, while reminding world of Taliban's "gruesome" past
As his country plunges into chaos — and many of his countrymen seek to flee the tightening grip of the hardline Taliban in Afghanistan — Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations spoke Monday before an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
Hardline Taliban fighters have surged across Afghanistan in a matter of weeks since US forces departed, reclaiming swaths of territory, including now the country's capital city, Kabul.
Those Taliban advances have created turmoil across Afghanistan, as Afghan nationals remember the Taliban's previous, brutal rule in which women and girls particularly were denied basic civil and human rights.
That rule ended after US forces entered the country in 2002, following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as the Taliban provided safe haven for the masterminds who plotted the attacks.
The final US forces withdrew from Afghanistan just weeks ago — after nearly 20 years. The Taliban were able to make these recent gains despite continued US support and training for the Afghan military.
The Taliban now is expecting to reclaim control of the country.
“Mr President, today I am speaking on behalf of millions of people in Afghanistan whose fate hangs in balance, and are faced with an extremely uncertain future. I'm speaking for millions of Afghan girls and women, who are about to lose their freedom to go to school, to work and to participate in the political, economic and social life of the country,” said Ambassador Ghulam Isaczai. “I’m speaking for thousands of human rights defenders, journalists, academics, civil servants, and former security personnel whose lives are at risk for defending human rights and democracy.
“I'm speaking for thousands of internally displaced people, who are desperately in need of shelter, food and protection in Kabul and other places. As you're witnessing yourself, the situation in Kabul — a city of 6 million people — is extremely worrying, to say the least. You have seen chaotic scenes, at the Kabul International Airport, as desperate citizens are trying to leave the country,” the ambassador added, however it is unclear what government he represents, given that the president of the Afghan government reportedly has fled the country and his whereabouts are unknown.
“Mr President, we are extremely concerned about Taliban's not honoring the promises and commitments made in their statements at Doha and at other international fora,” the envoy told the Security Council. “We've witnessed, time and again, how Taliban have broken their promises and commitments in the past. We have seen gruesome images of Taliban's mass executions of military personnel, and targeted killings of civilians in Kandahar and other big cities. Mr President, we cannot allow this to happen in Kabul, which has been the last refuge for many people escaping violence and Taliban's revenge attacks.”
There are already reports of Taliban fighters looting and going door-to-door seeking out those Afghan nationals on their target lists, the ambassador said.
“We have an opportunity to prevent further violence, prevent Afghanistan descending into a civil war and becoming a pariah state,” he said. “Therefore, the Security Council and the UN Secretary General should use every means at its disposal to call for an immediate cessation of violence and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.”
The ambassador specifically sought an end to revenge killing, a guarantee that the Taliban won't destroy infrastructure or works of art as it has in the past — and that anyone found “violating Afghans' human rights will be held to account.”
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