Taliban say blacklisting of cabinet members violation of Doha Agreement

Such remarks by US officials are a repetition of past failed experiments, says the new setup in Kabul

KABUL:

The Taliban government in Kabul on Thursday condemned recent remarks by US defence officials regarding the presence of certain cabinet members on the US blacklist and said it was a violation of the Doha Agreement. 

Some Taliban cabinet ministers, such as Sirajuddin Haqqani, remain blacklisted by the US government. 

"The Islamic Emirate considers this position a clear violation of the Doha Agreement which is neither in the interest of the United States nor Afghanistan," said the Taliban.

“The family of honourable Haqqani Sahib is part of Islamic Emirate and does not have a separate name or organisational setup”, it further said.

It stated that under the Doha Agreement “all officials of the Islamic Emirate without any exception were part of interaction with the US” and therefore should have been removed from the UN and US blacklists.

Read Taliban assure Pakistan of addressing security concerns

The Taliban government stated that this was a demand that remains valid.

They strongly condemned the US and other countries’ “provocative statements” and their attempts to “meddle in the internal affairs of Afghanistan”.

“Such remarks by US officials are a repetition of past failed experiments and such positions are detrimental for America”, maintained the statement released by the Taliban.

The Taliban government also urged that the "incorrect policies" be immediately reversed through diplomatic interactions.