New Delhi: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), under the current Presidency of India, on Monday, August 30, 2021, adopted a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, demanding that the war-torn country not be used to threaten or attack any nation or shelter terrorists.
The resolution — drafted by the United States, Britain and France, and seen by AFP — was passed with 13 votes in favour and no objections. China and Russia abstained.
The resolution says the council expects the Taliban to allow a “safe, secure, and orderly departure from Afghanistan of Afghans and all foreign nationals.”
It refers to an August 27 statement by the Taliban in which the hardline Islamists said Afghans would be able to travel abroad, and leave Afghanistan any time they want to, including by any border crossing, both air and ground.
The Security Council “expects that the Taliban will adhere to these and all other commitments,” the resolution says.
Paris and London would present a draft resolution which “aims to define, under UN control, a ‘safe zone’ in Kabul, that will allow humanitarian operations to continue,” Macron said.
Experts said the text was watered down to ensure China and Russia would not use their vetoes to block it, including softening some of the language related to the Taliban.
“This is a pretty thin text,” said Richard Gowan, UN expert at the International Crisis Group.
The resolution demands that Afghan territory at no cost be used to threaten or attack any other country or to shelter or train terrorists.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the United States was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE.
Chaos has enveloped Kabul after the Afghanistan government collapsed, with thousands making desperate attempts to evacuate the capital.
