US accuses IEA of ‘hostage diplomacy’ at UN Security Council meeting

At the United Nations Security Council session renewing the 1988 sanctions mandate, US deputy representative, Tammy Bruce, said on Thursday that the Monitoring Team remains vital for assessing security and human rights conditions in Afghanistan.

She said the team’s reports provide key insights into the Islamic Emirate’s counterterrorism efforts and its human rights record, especially regarding women and girls.

Bruce accused the IEA of continuing “hostage diplomacy,” noting they have sought the release of an al-Qaida operative held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in exchange for detained American citizens.

“The Taliban (IEA) must end all forms of hostage-taking and wrongful detentions,” she said. “The UN 1988 sanctions regime and its Monitoring Team remain critical tools for the international community to hold the Taliban accountable, including for these deplorable tactics.”

China’s envoy, Fu Cong, welcomed the Monitoring Team’s recent visit to Afghanistan and encouraged its experts to maintain engagement with and dialogue with the Afghan government.

“We urge the Afghan government to earnestly fulfil its counterterrorism responsibilities and take more resolute and effective measures to completely eradicate all terrorist forces in the country, including Daesh, al Qaeda, ETIM and TTP,” he said.
The envoy called for travel ban exemptions for Islamic Emirate officials to facilitate their international engagement.

Russian deputy representative, Anna Evstigneeva, said that attempts to shift the focus from key issues related to combating terrorism and narcotics trafficking to the human rights situation in Afghanistan are counterproductive and will undermine the effective implementation by experts of their tasks.