Situation context
Afghanistan is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China. Much of the country is mountainous, dominated by the Hindu Kush range. Afghanistan has historically been an important corridor for trade, migration, and empires connecting Asia and the Middle East.
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What is Afghanistan situation about?
Afghanistan - Overview
What the Afghanistan situation is about In Security Council discussions, “the situation in Afghanistan” refers to a continuing political, humanitarian, human-rights and regional-security crisis that deepened after the Taliban took Kabul in August 2021 and became the country’s de facto authorities. In plain terms, the Council is not treating Afghanistan as just a post-war recovery case. It is discussing a country that is: under Taliban control, but without broader international recognition as Afghanistan’s legitimate government; facing severe humanitarian need, with very large numbers of people requiring assistance; marked by major restrictions on women and girls, including exclusion from education, work and public life; still raising terrorism concerns, including fears that Afghan territory could again be used by groups such as ISIL-K or Al-Qaida; creating wider regional risks through...
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How did the Afghanistan situation evolve over time?
Afghanistan - Timeline
Afghanistan’s trajectory in the Security Council’s view From the Security Council record, Afghanistan’s recent evolution can be understood in five broad phases: collapse of the former order in 2021, consolidation of Taliban rule, deepening restrictions on women and girls, a shift toward structured international engagement, and then a newer phase shaped by regional spillover and severe underfunding. --- 1) Before the takeover: escalating war and failed diplomacy Early August 2021 At the Council’s 6 August 2021 meeting (Meeting 8831), Afghanistan was still being discussed mainly as an active war with a worsening humanitarian crisis. What Council members highlighted then: rapidly escalating Taliban offensives; stalled intra-Afghan negotiations; record civilian casualties and targeted killings; attacks on minorities; drought, COVID-19 and food insecurity compounding the conflict. At that...
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