UN delinks al-Qaeda-Taliban sanctions
Move expected to kickstart peace talks by offering incentives for Taliban members to renounce al-Qaeda.
The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to have separate sanctions for al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Friday’s vote delinks joint sanctions that had been imposed by the UN for more than 12 years.
Both groups are seen by some as allies and accomplices in a war against the West.
There are currently 138 people associated with the Taliban and 254 others associated with al-Qaeda on the UN’s sanction list.
These individuals cannot travel – or hold assets – outside of Afghanistan and as it currently stands, the Afghan government has little say in who is put on or taken off this list.
According to Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey in New York, Washington and its allies wanted the UN to separate the link between the two groups.
Analysts say it will kickstart peace talks in Afghanistan by offering an incentive for Taliban members to renounce al-Qaeda.