Taliban’s relationship with world to be defined by actions: Blinken

The Taliban’s relationship with the international community is going to be defined by the actions the group takes, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, asserting that “this is not a favour” to the world but a basic requirement for a stable and secure Afghanistan.

The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month, seizing control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal of the US forces that began on May 1. On August 15, the capital city of Kabul fell to the insurgents.

The hardline Islamist insurgents claimed victory over opposition forces in the last holdout province of Panjshir on September 6, completing their takeover of Afghanistan three weeks after capturing Kabul.

“The bottom line is this: again, the Taliban says that it seeks legitimacy, that it seeks support from the international community; the relationship that it has with the international community is going to be defined by the actions it takes. That’s what we’re looking for. And it’s, again, not just us. It’s the Security Council and its countries around the world,” Blinken said at a press conference here Thursday.

He was responding to a question on whether countries like China, Pakistan and all five permanent members of the UN Security Council are on board over Taliban legitimacy’s hinging on the progress made by them on their commitments.

“I think there is a very strong unity of approach and unity of purpose. And, of course, it’s not just me saying it; it’s reflected in the UN Security Council resolution that was passed just a couple of weeks ago on August 30th,” Blinken said.

UN Security Council resolution 2593 on Afghanistan, adopted under India’s Presidency of the 15-nation Council in August, had demanded that Afghan territory not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan or to finance terrorist acts, and reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan, including those individuals and entities designated pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), and noted the Taliban’s relevant commitments.

The powerful Security Council had adopted the resolution sponsored by France, UK and the US with 13 members voting in favour, none against. Permanent, veto-wielding members Russia and China abstained, highlighting the lack of unity in the Council over the Afghan situation.