The condemnation came after a UN Security Council report revealed a rift within the Taliban.
The Taliban condemned a UN Security Council report as “baseless and biased” that called the Afghan administration “extremely exclusionary” and “repressive”.
The report released earlier in June by the UNSC’s Analytical Assistance and Sanctions Monitoring Group said the Taliban regime structure remains “extremely exclusionary, Pashtun-centric and repressive” towards all forms of opposition.
It also said that the return of Kandahar as the seat of power – as it was during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the 1990s – hinders senior Taliban ministers in Kabul, the current center of government, because of the decision-making process.
The report also said the group is struggling with internal conflicts over core policies, centralization of power and control of finances and natural resources in Afghanistan.
The ongoing power struggle is further destabilizing the situation, with the outbreak of armed conflict between rival factions an obvious risk, the report added.
In recent months at least two spokesmen based in Kabul have been asked to relocate to the southern city of Kandahar, raising speculation about a power shift from the capital to the southern city of Kandahar, where supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada resides.
In April, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, was asked to work from both locations, and Innamullah Samangani, another deputy spokesman for the interim government, was transferred to Kandahar. The Taliban’s information ministry did not give a reason for the handover.
‘Hostility’ towards Afghans
Mujahid rejected the report’s “allegations” of conflict, saying they were baseless and showed “obvious hostility” towards Afghans.
Rumors of discord among the group’s leaders are a continuation of the past 20 years of propaganda, he said, referring to 20 years of US war and occupation.
“Publication of biased and baseless reports of the Security Council does not help Afghanistan and international peace and security, but rather it increases anxiety among people. [Afghans]”
Since taking over the country in August 2021, the group has expanded restrictions on media freedom and women’s rights, closing high schools for girls. Taliban officials initially promised to open the schools after upgrading an infrastructure to ensure gender segregation, but the group has doubled down on women’s rights by banning women from universities and employment.
Analysts say the decree, which excludes women and girls from education and work, was issued from Kandahar – the base of the Taliban chief. Several Taliban leaders support women’s empowerment, saying Islam guarantees women’s right to education and work.
Taliban officials deny there is a rift in their leadership.
The report described Taliban leader Akhunzada as “isolated and elusive” and said he had taken extensive measures to ensure his safety while holding meetings.
It quoted an anonymous UNSC member state as saying that Akhunzada had survived two bouts of COVID-19, with his respiratory system weakened, in addition to his existing kidney problems, leading to suggestions that senior Taliban figures were waiting for his health. legacy
“Hibatullah has proudly resisted external pressure to moderate his policies,” the June 1 report said. “There is no indication that other Kabul-based Taliban leaders can significantly influence policy. Change is unlikely in the near to medium term.”
In recent days, the Taliban has sought to exclude all foreign firms from the education sector, a move the UN secretary-general’s chief spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday would be another “terrible step” for the Afghan people.
The Taliban did not comment on the education NGO’s move.
Aid agencies have been providing food, education and healthcare support to Afghans since the Taliban took over in August 2021 and in the wake of the economic collapse that followed.
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