UN says Taliban divided on appeal to restore women’s rights

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations has urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan to reverse their crackdown on women and girls. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Friday that the delegation found some Taliban officials more open to restoring some women’s rights but others were clearly opposed. Haq told reporters that “the key thing is to reconcile” the two disparate groups. U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, a former Nigerian Cabinet minister and a Muslim, was joined on the visit by Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women.