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Washington signals policy shift on Afghanistan during UN Security Council session
However, other Council members urged caution in dealing with the Islamic Emirate.
The United Nations Security Council held a special session this week to assess the situation in Afghanistan, with international stakeholders offering sharply contrasting views on engagement with the Islamic Emirate-led administration.
The meeting comes amid growing concern over humanitarian conditions, the erosion of women’s rights, and the international community’s fractured approach to the future of the country.
Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), presented the UN’s newly formalized “Mosaic Strategy,” aimed at focused engagement without legitimizing the current political order.
“The goal of this focused engagement is to support the emergence of an Afghanistan that lives in peace with itself and its neighbors, adheres to international obligations, reintegrates into the global community, and avoids a return to cycles of violence,” Otunbayeva told the Security Council.
She warned that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) continued ban on girls’ education threatens to deepen Afghanistan’s international isolation. “Policies that restrict the rights of women and girls represent a major obstacle to Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international system,” she said.
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, echoed those concerns, stating that women’s full participation is essential to achieving lasting peace and legitimacy.
“Without full and active inclusion of women, no sustainable stability or real progress can be achieved in political or humanitarian efforts,” she noted.
Amid this backdrop, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea confirmed that Washington is reassessing its policy on Afghanistan.
“Nearly four years have passed since the Taliban (IEA) took control, yet the situation remains dire,” she said.
Shea emphasized that the Trump administration’s renewed strategy will center on securing U.S. interests, including the protection of American citizens, the mitigation of terrorism threats, and the release of detained Americans.
“Our approach to assistance has not been sustainable and has failed to yield the intended results,” Shea stated. “It is now time for the Taliban to perform.”
Her remarks signaled a shift toward more conditional, outcome-based engagement and away from open-ended commitments.
However, other Council members urged caution in dealing with the Islamic Emirate.
China’s envoy Geng Shuang called for a more pragmatic approach, warning against politicizing humanitarian aid and cautioning that women’s rights should not be the sole barometer of international engagement.
“We must respect Afghanistan’s traditions and realities,” Geng said, “and avoid imposing excessively strict demands.”
Qatar’s representative announced plans to host two key working group meetings under the Doha Process from June 30 to July 1. These sessions—on counter-narcotics and private sector development—will include representatives of the IEA, suggesting an ongoing track of technical engagement even amid diplomatic caution.
The Council session laid bare the growing divisions over how best to handle Afghanistan’s future: whether to isolate the IEA-led government over human rights violations, or to engage pragmatically to maintain stability and prevent a humanitarian collapse.
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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff
Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”
Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.
He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.
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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India
Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.
The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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