Kabul: The Taliban government of Afghanistan have issued a threat against the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The Taliban issued the warning in the wake of disagreements among United Nations Security Council (UNSC) member states regarding travel ban waivers for Afghan officials.

Taliban officials have warned that if the UNSC refuses to extend the travel ban exemption, the decision will provoke them in a way that is not in anyone’s interest.

Disagreement among UNSC member states

The United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and France, three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), want to impose travel restrictions on 13 Taliban officials, while the other two permanent members – Russia and China – are in favor of granting an exemption.

Travel exemption ended on August 19

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will reportedly vote on whether to extend the travel exemption of 13 Taliban officials soon as the travel exemption for Afghan Taliban officials was due to expire on August 19. However, the UNSC is reportedly skeptical about whether to extend the travel ban exemption.

Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman warns UNSC

Notably, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abdul Kahar Balkhi, tweeted on Saturday that all sanctions against the Taliban under the Doha Agreement should be revoked. At the same time, Taliban officials warned that if the UNSC refused to extend the travel ban exemption, it would provoke a decision that could force them to take a harsher stance.