Aid Groups in Afghanistan Suspend Work After Taliban order

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, a major humanitarian aid organization said on Wednesday that it had halted some of its operations following an order from the Taliban to halt Swedish activities in the country.

The Taliban administration said last week that all Swedish activities in Afghanistan should be halted in response to the burning of a copy of the Koran in the capital, Stockholm, last month, but it did not say to whom the order would apply.

"Some of the activities of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan have been suspended," the relief organization said in a statement, after seeking to hold discussions with the Taliban administration.

Thousands of Afghans work for the organization across the country in the health, education and rural development sectors, in addition to treating 2.5 million patients in its clinics last year.

The committee did not say how many operations had been suspended and said it was seeking approvals to resume operations as soon as possible.