US Tells Taliban to Close Office in New YorkThe United States has told the Taliban of Afghanistan to close its office in New York in compliance with UN sanctions, the US State Department said on Friday.Spokesman Richard Boucher said the Taliban's representative in the United States, Abdul Hakeem Mujahid, was reminded of the requirements of the sanctions at a meeting with US acting Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Alan Eastham at the State Department on Thursday. "Among these steps is the requirement to close any Taliban office in the United States," Boucher said. "That means that the Taliban will no longer be able to maintain their office in New York." The United Nations tightened the sanctions in December last year after the Taliban failed to meet demands that they hand over exiled Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden, who reportedly stays in Afghanistan, is accused by the United States of masterminding the bombings of two US embassies in Africa in 1998. |
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