Abdul Salam Zaeef Removed from U.N. Sanctions List

Abdul Salam Zaeef, a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan and author of the autobiography My Life with the Taliban, was one of five members of the Taliban recently removed from the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions list.

According to an article in the New York Times , those who were on the list were subjected to a travel embargo and asset freeze. However, many in Afghanistan viewed the list as a hit list for assassination. To be removed from the list Zaeef had to renounce violence, renounce ties to Al Qaeda, and accept the Afghan constitution.

Many view the removal of sanctions as an important step in the peace process. When asked about the lifting of sanctions for him and the others Zaeef commented, “It will build trust between both sides, but on one condition. This process should continue and does not stop right here. They should remove the names of more and more people from this list — one or two or five names are not enough.”