INTERNATIONAL — February 12, 2026
UK Urges Taliban to Take Meaningful Steps to Protect Rights of Women and Girls
The UK delegation at the UN Security Council urged the Taliban to take meaningful steps to protect women's and girls' rights and combat terrorism, while voting to extend the sanctions monitoring committee's mandate. Pakistan and Russia called for Taliban engagement and stressed preventing terrorist use of Afghan territory.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Hasht-e Subh — 2 min read
The British delegation to the United Nations stated that the Taliban must take meaningful steps to adhere to their international commitments and protect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, February 12, the delegation voted in favor of extending the mandate of the UN Security Council committee overseeing Taliban sanctions during a council meeting.
The UK representatives emphasized that the Taliban should implement practical measures to combat terrorism.
Pakistan's representative, Asim Iftikhar, said during the session that the Taliban must choose between isolation and engagement. He stressed that Afghan soil should not be used by terrorist groups.
Russia's representative, Na Yevstigneyeva, stated that the United Nations should continue its engagement with the Taliban.
The Afghanistan sanctions regime, established under resolution 1988, includes asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo targeting individuals, groups, entities, and other parties associated with the Taliban.
Read the original reporting at Hasht-e Subh →
Reliability assessment
Single source provides direct, on-record attributions to named representatives (UK delegation, Asim Iftikhar of Pakistan, Na Yevstigneyeva of Russia) at a specific, checkable UNSC meeting on February 12 with concrete details on voting and sanctions.
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International — UN Security Council, Taliban, UK, Pakistan, Russia
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