Roza Otunbayeva, the UN's special representative for Afghanistan, told the Security Council [4] on June 21 that the Taliban's continued restrictions on women made it "nearly impossible" for the international community to recognize it as a legitimate government. In particular, Otunbayeva referred to an April edict banning Afghan women from working with the UN—a follow-up to an earlier ban on them working for local or international NGOs. However, the Islamic Emirate, as the Taliban prefers to be known, continues to push for international recognition, most recently at a meeting of stakeholders [5] in Oslo.
Meanwhile, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid—acting defense minister and son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar—gave a first interview [7] to a private broadcaster, TOLO TV. "I hope that in five years, we will have progress in all areas [including] the issue that has been raised by our countrymen now and that friends are asking about, regarding [women's] education," he said. Asked directly whether he realizes how such restrictions are affecting the Islamic Emirate's chances at international recognition, Mujahid skirted the issue.
From The New Humanitarian [8], June 23
See our last report on the Taliban's anti-woman crackdown [9].
