\n Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, part of the Western-backed government that crumbled last month, on Thursday urged the world body to enforce sanctions on the Taliban whom he accused of possible war crimes.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ghulam Isaczai, a US-educated former UN official who was part of ousted president Ashraf Ghani's cabinet, remains the representative of Afghanistan at the world body despite the victorious Taliban's announcement Tuesday of a government.\n<\/p>\n
\n Addressing a Security Council session on his country, Isaczai urged nations not to recognize a Taliban government and to enforce existing UN sanctions on leaders named in the interim cabinet, including restrictions on their international travel.\n<\/p>\n
\n Recent street protests -- dispersed by the Islamist fighters who have since banned demonstrations -- are \"a strong message to the Taliban that Afghans of all backgrounds and creeds would not accept a totalitarian system imposed on them,\" Isaczai said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I therefore ask you to withhold any recognition of any government in Afghanistan unless it's truly inclusive and formed on the basis of free will of the people,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Any relaxation on travel bans \"would be misused for the purpose of gaining international recognition for their new non-inclusive government,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n He accused the Taliban of \"widespread atrocities\" in the Panjshir Valley, the last pocket of resistance in the insurgents' rapid takeover as US troops withdrew.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"The Taliban continue to commit human rights violations, possibly war crimes, which have exacerbated the situation,\" Isaczai said.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"They have performed targeted executions, cut off communication lines and imposed a humanitarian blockade which is preventing food supplies from entering profits.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n He said the Taliban were backed by \"foreign terrorist fighters and foreign intelligence\" -- a likely reference to Pakistan, which clashed with the fallen government and backed the Islamists' last regime in 1996-2001.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ambassador also joined UN officials in calling for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, which is facing an economic crisis spurred by a cash crunch and sharp inflation just as foreign funding dries up and winter approaches.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"While the Taliban are celebrating their victory by shooting their guns in the air on the streets of Kabul, a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding,\" he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Isaczai's outspokenness mirrors that of the UN envoy from Myanmar, Kyaw Moe Tun, who has demanded action against military rulers who seized power in February and unsuccessfully tried to remove him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, part of the Western-backed government that crumbled last month, on Thursday urged the world body to enforce sanctions on the Taliban whom he accused of possible war crimes. Ghulam Isaczai, a US-educated former UN official who was part of ousted president Ashraf Ghani's cabinet, remains the representative of Afghanistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-81920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n