Afghanistan has remained unsafe since the Taliban took over the country in August this year after the withdrawal of US and international troops. In addition, the Taliban government is in acute shortage of resources due to the cessation of international financial aid. “The United Nations, as an employer, has a duty to strengthen and, where necessary, replenish the capacity of host states in circumstances where UN personnel work in unsafe areas,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq wrote in response to questions from Reuters about the proposed payments. He did not dispute the contents of the document.
Experts question whether the payments would go against sanctions imposed by the UN and the United States. The head of the Afghan Ministry of the Interior is Sirajuddin Haqqani. He is the second man of the Taliban and runs the Haqqani network that carried out many bloody attacks in the country during the war. The US has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
About 3,500 UN personnel are present in Afghanistan.