Do Not Normalize the Taliban’s Illegal Terror Regime in Afghanistan 

The United States, members of the European community, and others such as Japan are arguing that we can work with the Taliban regime – to help the people of Afghanistan. More incredibly naively, some see them as potential counter-terrorism partners.  This is a back-door to recognition; and the deep Taliban and Haqqani ties (often familial) with various terrorist groups will override any promise to fight terrorism.

Normalizing the Taliban and Haqqani terror regime discourages Afghans who believe in human rights from exercising their sovereign right to negotiate a sustainable and legitimate political settlement.

The United Nations and the United States must lead the effort against normalization of the illegal Taliban and Haqqani Regime.

 

Background

In the wake of the total and rapid withdrawal of NATO forces and many of their embassies, which began two years ago on April 14th 2021 and ended on 31 August, Afghanistan entered a new period of darkness. The Taliban and Haqqani terror network, formerly headquartered in Pakistan, succeeded in illegally taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021. The illegitimate regime has been holding the Afghan people hostage while they establish a gender apartheid system and commit reprisal killings and other human rights atrocities daily.

The terror regime operates through intimidation, torture, rape, murder, and various human rights violations. They are not respected by the Afghan people; they are tolerated because the people are unable to remove the terror regime and stop its steady supply of recruits from Pakistan, Syria, and elsewhere.  Women in particular are subject to increased violence in their homes, an end to their educations, and no ability to freely leave their homes. Forced and child marriages are leading young girls to suicide as their only recourse.

So far nations like Pakistan, China, Qatar, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Uzbekistan, and others have aided this illegal terror regime in its quest to gain international legitimacy. The regime wants to be recognized as a government by the world, and get its members off terrorist-sanction lists. The regime leadership does not care about the health, education, nutrition, or economic crisis they have created by destroying the UN-backed Afghan Republic’s young institutions. The regime also does not care about gaining internal legitimacy from the people of Afghanistan; the Taliban and Haqqani regime are content to rule through violence and fear.

 

Call to action

We the undersigned encourage the United Nations and the United Stated to lead all nations, international/regional bodies, and the press/media in denying normalization of the illegal Taliban and Haqqani terror regime by:

·       Referring to them to as an illegal terror regime that operates in violation of the United Nations rules rather than as any form of government (de facto or legitimate)

·       Using “Afghanistan” to describe the nation rather than the term “Islamic Emirate”

·       Refusing to travel to and enter the buildings they illegally occupy or be used for propaganda in any photos or video

·       Refusing to allow any terror regime members to act as diplomats in any nation

·       Refusing the Taliban’s request for credentials to the UN General Assembly

·       Not extending an invitation to any Taliban official to participate in or observe any international or regional forum

·       Engaging only in economic or security agreements with those outside the illegal terror regime

·       Not allowing any terror regime member to communicate via publication in the press, or through unchallenged oral propaganda statements, and instead seek opportunities for non-Taliban Afghan citizens to give their views

 

We the undersigned call for the United Nations and the United States to support the efforts of non-Taliban Afghans and encourage them to continuously act towards building and enacting a broad-based, inclusive, and diverse Afghan governing body that respects human rights for all Afghans and follows the standard rules of international affairs.

Here are some ways that the world can help Afghans re-establish human rights, and a fair and legitimate governing system.

·       Use the symbolism of the UN General Assembly to elevate Afghanistan’s people, inviting human rights defenders to speak on behalf of the nation

·       Urge the US Secretary of State to meet with Afghan civil society and Republic diplomats while attending UN meetings and set the example for other nations

·       Work with Afghans who stand for human rights and in opposition to the terror regime as they develop a strategy and process for re-establishing their nation and freeing it of terrorism

·       Provide safe spaces outside of Afghanistan for Afghans to gather and organize their ideas and themselves to plan for their future, places like the Embassies of Afghanistan

·       Provide education opportunities for all Afghans inside and outside the country to ensure they do not lose all the progress they have made in the last 20 years

·       Find creative solutions to provide humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghans that cannot be siphoned off into the hands of the terror regime and their supporters

·       Sanction every member of the terror regime and their families to identify them as terrorists and terrorism supporters

·       Sanction any nation, or specific persons inside them, that are supporting the illegal regime in any way

·       Assist Afghans inside and outside of their country with mental health care to help them endure the trauma and stress of terrorists occupying their nation

·       Make clear to the people of Afghanistan that you stand on the side of those who seek human rights for all, and you stand in opposition to the ideology of terrorists and the illegal regime

 

Outcomes

If the United States and the United Nations follow these non-normalization concepts the anti-Taliban Afghans will be strengthened; and be better able to form an inclusive vision for the future of Afghanistan, and pursue more options to end the reign of the terror regime. At the same time these efforts will weaken the capabilities of the illegal Taliban and Haqqani regime and possibly lead to more successful diplomatic efforts among the people of Afghanistan.