Who will speak for Afghanistan at the United Nations?

The Taliban want to represent Afghanistan at the UN, but so does the current accredited ambassador appointed by former President Ashraf Ghani.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a letter on Monday from the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” – which the Taliban declared last month – signed by Amir Khan Muttaqi, who goes by the title “Minister of Foreign Affairs”.

The letter included a formal request by the Taliban to participate in this year’s UN General Assembly (UNGA) and to inform the world body that it had nominated Suhail Shaheen, its Doha-based spokesman, as its new ambassador to the UN.

But the Taliban was not the only one vying to represent Afghanistan at the annual gathering of member states.