UN Could Ease Taliban Sanctions

With Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan ending and the U.S. beginning to withdraw troops, the UN lays groundwork for peace talks.

The United Nations Security Council will consider dropping sanctions against 20 Taliban members today with the hope of kick-starting reconciliation talks with the Afghan paramilitaries. The move comes at the behest of the United States, which is facing a three-year deadline to solidify some level of peace and order in Afghanistan before withdrawing forces from the central Asian country. The UNSC will also split its current sanctions list into al-Qaeda and Taliban subsections, so as to portray them as distinct organizations. The 135 members of the Taliban currently facing travel bans and asset freezes would also be given the opportunity to sever ties with al-Qaeda, swear allegiance to Afghanistan's new constitution, and renounce violence, which U.S., UN, and Afghan authorities hope will ease key Taliban figures into negotiations.