US warns Taliban on terror 

Washington also voices concern about the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, slams systematic suppression of women and girls…reports Asian Lite News

The US will continue to remain concerned about the potential for terrorist activists in Afghanistan and expects Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from being a haven for terrorism, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller has said.In response to a question about President Joe Biden’s concerns regarding terrorist activity in Afghanistan, Miller said, “We continue to be very concerned about the potential for terrorist activities in Afghanistan. We’ve made it clear that we maintain the capability to conduct over-the-horizon anti-terrorism activities. And of course, we expect the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from being a haven for terrorism, as it has been in the past.”Earlier this month, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the country has witnessed an increase in violence against the Shia and Hazara communities in the past month in the provinces of Kabul, Balkh, and Herat, Khaama Press reported. UNAMA called for support for individuals at risk.This came in response to the recent attack on Shia Muslims in the Herat province, which had prompted strong reactions, Khaama Press reported. On December 1, six people, including four men and two women, were killed as a result of gunfire by unidentified armed individuals in Herat. The incident occurred in the Hazara-populated area of Jibril in Herat, where all the victims were riding in rickshaws, according to Khaama Press report.Meanwhile, Matthew Miller said that the US will continue to be “very concerned” about the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. Ever since the Taliban came into power, women’s human rights in Afghanistan have been systematically suppressed and girls have been denied access to secondary education and women to higher education.

Asked about the Taliban not making a change on their claim regarding Afghan women, he said, “We continue to be very concerned about the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.”Asked about a report published that former Afghan house speakers under Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s government has been listed by the US Treasury, Matthew Miller said that US has taken action to designate former members of the Afghan parliament and their immediately family members due to their involvement in significant corruption.Miller asserted that the US will continue to take action to combat corruption in Afghanistan and around the world.

He said, “We have taken action to designate former members of the Afghan parliament and their immediate family members, which renders them generally ineligible to enter into the United States. Because of their involvement in significant corruption, The Treasury Department has also designated these individuals under the Magnitsky sanctions program for their extensive role in transnational corruption.Treasury designated a network of 44 companies connected to them for their role. So, I will say that we will continue to take action to combat corruption both in Afghanistan and around the world,” he added.Miller’s statement comes after the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two former Afghan government officials – Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Ajmal Rahmani collectively known as “the Rahmanis” for their extensive roles in transnational corruption, as well as 44 associated entities, US Department of Treasury announced in a statement.In the statement, the US Department of Treasury said, “These individuals and entities are designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.”Through their Afghan companies, the Rahmanis perpetrated a complex procurement corruption scheme resulting in the misappropriation of millions of dollars from U.S. Government-funded contracts that supported Afghan security forces,” he added.Concurrently, the US Department of State designated Mir Rahman Rahmani, Ajmal Rahmani, and their immediate family members, under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for involvement in “significant corruption as a public official”, according to the statement.

‘Diplomatic resolution to issues between Afghanistan, Pakistan’

Meanwhile, Miller added that Washington supports diplomatic resolution to all of the various issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Asked whether the US is concerned about the ties going bad between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Matthew Miller said, “With respect to relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, obviously, we support diplomatic resolution to all of the various issues between those two countries. It’s something that we have been engaged on, we have detailed the substance of some of those specific engagements in the past few weeks and we will continue to do so.”

Notably, the ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan became strained after the Pakistani caretaker government initiated a nationwide campaign to deport illegal foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghans.In response to another question, Matthew Miller reiterated that the US does not play any role in choosing the leaders of Pakistan. He said that the US engages with Pakistan’s leadership, as decided by the people of the country. In 2022, Pakistan’s then-PM Imran Khan claimed that the US was involved in a conspiracy to oust him. However, the US denied involvement in the matter.

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