Withholding Afghan Govt recognition has global impact, Taliban to US

The Taliban called on the United States and other countries to recognise their government in Afghanistan, saying that a failure to do so and the continued freezing of Afghan funds abroad would lead to problems not only for the country but for the world. "Our message to America is, if unrecognition continues, Afghan problems continue, it is the problem of the region and could turn into a problem for the world," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists at a news conference on Saturday. He said the reason the Taliban and the United States went to war last time was also because the two did not have formal diplomatic ties."Those issues which caused the war, they could have been solved through negotiation, they could have been solved through political compromise too," Mujahid said.  He added that recognition was the right of the Afghan people. Mujahid also spoke at length about the issues facing border crossings, particularly with Pakistan, which have seen frequent closures and protests in recent days.

No country has formally recognised the Taliban government since the insurgents took over the country in August, while billions of dollars in Afghan assets and funds abroad have also been frozen, even as the country faces severe economic and humanitarian crises.The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the Sept. 11, 2001, attack after the then-Taliban government refused to hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.