Afghan envoy withdraws from General Assembly debate: UN

Afghanistan's ambassador to the UN has pulled out of delivering an address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly later Monday, a UN spokesperson said.

Ghulam Isaczai, who represented ousted president Ashraf Ghani's regime, had been due to defy the Taliban with a speech but his name was removed from the list of speakers early Monday.

"The country withdraws its participation in the general debate," Monica Grayley, a spokeswoman for the assembly's president, confirmed to AFP.