UNSC does not refer to Taliban in Kabul airport attack statement

New Delhi

The United Nations Security Council(UNSC) has reportedly not referred to the Taliban in its statement on terror attacks near Kabul airport which took place on Thursday.

The change was pointed out by Syed Akbaruddin who was India's permanent representative at the United Nations.

"In diplomacy…a fortnight is a long time. The ‘T’ word is gone," Akbaruddin said in his tweet while citing the two statements.

In the first statement issued on August 16, the UNSC said: “The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any country, and that neither the Taliban nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country.” 

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On August 27, the UNSC while issuing the statement after the suicide attack at Kabul airport said: “The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan to ensure the territory of Afghanistan should not be used to threaten or attack any country, and that no Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any country.”

The attack was claimed by Islamic State in Khorasan(ISIS-K) which the UNS statement said was affiliated to Islamic State in Iraq and Levant(ISIL/Da'esh).

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The UNSC while condemning the "deplorable attack" said in the statement that "all parties must respect their obligations under the international humanitarian law in all circumstances."

India which is the president of the UNSC this month signed off on the statement and issued it as the chair for the month of August.

The Taliban was first designated as a terrorist organization in 1999 by the United Nations Security Council. 

UNSC resolution 1267 adopted in October 1999 had designated slain al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and his associates as "terrorists" including al-Qaida and the Taliban.

(With inputs from Agencies)