Kabul: A Taliban order to stop Swedish activities in the country caused the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, a significant humanitarian organization, to pause some of its operations, it announced on Wednesday.
In response to the burning of a Qur'an in Stockholm last month, the Taliban administration declared last week that all Swedish activities in Afghanistan must cease. However, it was unclear to which institutions the order would apply.
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), an aid organization, announced in a statement that "some activities have been paused" following talks with the Taliban leadership.
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The organization employs thousands of Afghans nationwide in the fields of health, education, and rural development, and its clinics saw 2.5 million patients last year.
SCA said it was seeking approvals to resume operations as soon as possible but did not specify how many of its operations had been put on hold.
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Non-governmental organizations are overseen by the Taliban-run economy ministry, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A number of restrictions, including those pertaining to female aid workers, have already severely hampered Afghanistan's aid sector. Donor countries may be cutting back on their financial support, as evidenced by funding cuts for an annual humanitarian plan overseen by the United Nations.