UNITED NATIONS, Jan 17: The UN Security Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to revise Afghanistan sanctions in order to target the Al Qaeda network and its supporters, wherever they may be.

The resolution, drawn up by the five permanent council members, updates a previous set of sanctions, which expire on Saturday, against the Taliban when they were rulers of Kabul.

Under the resolution all nations are required to impose travel and arms embargoes on remnants of the Taliban, Al Qaeda and its supporters wherever they may be in an effort “to root out this network”.

The document also calls for a freeze of financial assets of individuals, groups and institutions on a list prepared by a council sanctions committee.

The resolution also gives the green light to two earlier decisions by the council and the committee — to unfreeze funds for Afghanistan’s central bank and lift sanctions on the national Ariana Afghan Airlines so it could fly abroad again.

Consequently, Ariana will be able to collect some 23 million dollars in overflight fees frozen by the International Air Transport Association.—Reuters