The Taliban uncompromisingly oppress women, girls and minorities. A German diplomat is continuing his years of cosiness with the fundamentalists – now in Kabul and on behalf of the UN.
The Taliban like pictures like this: the German, the new organizer of the UN mission in Kabul, is sitting casually in a blue suit next to Amir Khan Mutaqi, their “foreign minister”. The only thing separating them is a huge flag from the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” which no country in the world recognizes. Next to a table draped with snacks, four Pashtuns record what has been said, their heads bowed. Opposite, an American veteran in the UN business looks into space, curtains cover the windows in the reception room.