EU Council updates Afghanistan sanctions data for 24 people and one entity

The Council of the European Union has updated the entries of 24 persons and one entity subject to EU restrictive measures in view of the situation in Afghanistan, following revisions made by the United Nations Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011). The amendments were adopted on 22 September 2026 in Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2026/2137 and Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2138, both published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 23 September 2026. The two acts replace the identifying data of the listed persons and the entity, which remain subject to the freezing of funds and the other restrictive measures in force.

The legal basis and the UN trigger

The decision implements Decision 2011/486/CFSP of 1 August 2011, while the regulation implements Regulation (EU) No 753/2011 of the same date, the two instruments that transpose the UN sanctions regime on Afghanistan into EU law. According to the recitals of both acts, the UN committee updated the information on the listed persons and entity on four dates: 10 March 2026, 13 April 2026, 15 April 2026 and 28 April 2026.

The annexes amend the entries under heading A, “Individuals associated with the Taliban”, and heading B, “Entities and other groups and undertakings associated with the Taliban”, of the consolidated list. The Council acted on a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Who is affected

The entries replaced cover 24 individuals and one entity. Among the individuals whose data were updated are:

• Sirajuddin Jallaloudine Haqqani, head of the Haqqani Network, first designated by the UN on 13 September 2007.
• Abdul Ghani Baradar Abdul Ahmad Turk, alias Mullah Baradar Akhund, former Taliban Deputy Minister of Defence.
• Mohammad Hassan Akhund, former First Deputy of the Council of Ministers and Foreign Minister under the Taliban regime.
• Khalil Ahmed Haqqani, senior Haqqani Network member, reportedly deceased as of 11 December 2024.
• Amir Khan Motaqi, alias Amir Khan Muttaqi, former Minister of Education and Taliban representative in UN-led talks.
• Gul Agha Ishakzai, head of the Taliban financial commission, and Malik Noorzai, described as a Taliban financier.
• Abdul Rauf Zakir, alias Qari Zakir, former chief of suicide operations for the Haqqani Network.

The updated entries add or refresh passport numbers, dates and places of birth, addresses, national identification numbers and the narrative summaries of reasons for listing provided by the Sanctions Committee.

The entity and the money-exchange network

The single entity affected is Haji Khairullah Haji Sattar money exchange, also known as Haji Khairullah-Haji Sattar Sarafi and by eight further aliases. Its entry lists branch offices in Kabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Herat, Nimroz, Farah, Spin Boldak and Zabul, as well as offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Zahedan, Iran, and records an Afghan money service provider licence number 044. The UN designated the entity on 29 June 2012, stating that Taliban leaders used it to transfer money to commanders and to receive hawala transfers.

Entry into force and legal remedies

Both acts enter into force on the day following their publication in the Official Journal, that is 24 September 2026. A separate notice, C/2026/4979, published in the C series on 23 September 2026, informs the persons and the entity concerned of the ways to challenge their listing: a request for reconsideration to the UN Focal Point for De-listing, a request to the Council’s General Secretariat (RELEX.1), or an action before the General Court of the European Union under Articles 263 and 275 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The notice also recalls the possibility of applying to national competent authorities for authorisation to use frozen funds for basic needs.

The update keeps the EU list aligned with the UN consolidated list, so banks, payment providers and other operators must apply the revised identifying data when screening clients and transactions linked to Afghanistan.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 2026/2137 and 2026/2138, 23 September 2026, p. 1/16 (official reference: CELEX:L_20262137, CELEX:L_20262138).