The Taliban called Wednesday for all Muslim nations to officially recognise the terrorist organisation as a legitimate government following their military coup in the wake of the vacuum created by the hasty U.S. withdrawal.
Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund said the time has come for “Muslim countries to take the lead” and recognise Afghanistan “officially.”
Akhund claimed the Taliban did not want international endorsement “for the officials” and they stated they did not want anyone’s “help”, but instead suggested they wanted it for the Afghanistan “public”, France 24 reports.
This call for support from the international Muslim community comes after the 57-nation member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – whose members includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates – declined to recognise the Taliban-led Afghanistan government in December 2021.
Afghanistan is facing a major humanitarian crisis with the United Nations reporting that 22 percent of Afghanistan’s 38 million population are living near famine and an additional 36 percent are facing acute food insecurity.
This has largely been caused by the international communities decision not to recognise the terrorist state which has decimated international aid to Afghanistan which formerly propped up the nation. Some 80 percent of Afghanistan’s public spending – for services such as schools and public hospitals – came from overseas aid, and other nations are reluctant to send financial aid incase it is used to fund the Taliban’s atrocities in the region.
The United States has however sent the Taliban-controlled region more than $780 million in financial aid and 3.3 million coronavirus vaccinations, since the U.S.’ military withdrawal in August 2021.
The Taliban has not been recognised as a legitimate state due to concerns about the welfare of the Afghanistan people under their rule since their rapid take over in August 2021.
Taliban controlled forces were able to seize control of Afghanistan in just 11 days, following a disastrous U.S. and NATO withdrawal from the region, spearheaded by President Joe Biden.
The legitimate Afghanistan government abandoned the country due to fears of reprisals, and the US-trained Afghanistan army surrendered to or ran away from the much smaller and less well-equipped Taliban forces.
The newfound supposed empathy for Afghanistan’s “public” from the Taliban is undermined by the fact that since seizing control of the nation the Taliban have reportedly carried out public executions, torture, the oppression and enslavement of women, the return of Sharia Law and cultural vandalisation, such as destroying musical instruments.