KABUL: The Afghan Taliban have announced that they have suspended all the activities of Swedish aid organizations in Afghanistan in response to the recent desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.
The announcement left a Swedish non-governmental aid agency perplexed about the future of its programmes in the country, which provide medical and education facilities to thousands of Afghans in the country.
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) said it was seeking clarification from the Taliban regime, AP reported.
Two weeks ago, a man identified as a refugee from Iraq desecrated a copy of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in the capital city of Stockholm during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The incident drew widespread criticism from around the Muslim world, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Taliban government’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced the suspension of Swedish activities in in the country in a tweet on Tuesday.
He said that the Taliban government suspends Sweden’s activities in the country until they apologize to the Muslims for the heinous act of the burning of the Quran.
