Taliban may shift down the terror rankings

Peter Wittig, permanent representative of Germany to the United Nations and chairman of the UN committee overseeing the sanctions, said the panel would decide in about two weeks whether to divide the list.

The United States and Afghan governments have said they are willing to reconcile with Taliban members who renounce violence, embrace the Afghan constitution and sever ties with al-Qaida.

Making two separate lists would symbolically delink the Taliban from al-Qaida, recognising their different agendas.

Al-Qaida is focused on worldwide jihad against the West and establishment of a religious state in the Muslim world, while Afghan Taliban militants have focused on their own country and have shown little interest in attacking targets outside Afghanistan.

“The links are there, but they don’t justify putting them in the same basket,” said Mr Wittig.

“There would be an element of Afghan ownership because there would be an obligation to consult with the Afghan government on requests concerning changes to the list. So they would get a more prominent role.”

Some nations, however, are still undecided about whether to embrace the idea of splitting the list. All committee members must vote in favour for it to be approved.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been making peace overtures to members of the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan for five years and sheltered al-Qaida before being driven out of power in the invasion in late 2001.

The Taliban has long demanded removal from the sanctions list to help promote moves towards reconciliation.

The current UN sanctions list for both al-Qaida and the Taliban includes about 450 people, entities and organisations, including roughly 140 with links to the Taliban.

The Afghan government has already asked a UN panel to take about 50 Taliban figures off the sanctions list, which keeps them subject to an asset freeze and travel ban.

The committee will rule on many of these requests next week.