Taliban Announces ‘Amnesty,’ Urges Women to Join Government
The Taliban have announced "amnesty" throughout Afghanistan and urged women to join their government on Tuesday, trying to convince vigilantes that they have changed the day after deadly riots hit the main airport as frustrated crowds tried to escape their law.
Following the blitz in Afghanistan when many cities fell to rebels without war, the Taliban sought to establish themselves as more balanced than when they enacted a brutal law in the late 1990's. But many Afghan people remain skeptical.
Older generations remember the Taliban's ideology of the ultraconservative Islamic, which imposed severe restrictions on women and stoning, amputation and genocide before they were released from U.S.-led attacks. This was followed by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
While there were no major reports of torture or fighting in the capital Kabul as the Taliban now patrolled its streets, many residents remained at home and remained frightened after the coup d'état saw prisons evacuated and weapons looted. Many women have expressed fears that a Western ten-year attempt to extend their rights and restore Afghanistan will not survive the repatriated Taliban.
Germany, on the other hand, stopped aid to develop Afghanistan through the occupation of the Taliban. Such assistance is an important source of national support - and Taliban efforts to promote their minority may be aimed at ensuring that money continues to flow.(ads2)
Promises of pardon by Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban cultural commission, were the first comment on how the Taliban could rule at the national level. His comments remained unclear, however, as the Taliban were still negotiating with the political leaders of the fallen state government and no official declaration of dedication had been announced.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan with complete dignity and honesty has proclaimed complete amnesty throughout Afghanistan, especially those who have been in conflict or support residents for many years and more recently," he said.
Some Taliban leaders have said they will not seek revenge on those working with the Afghan government or abroad. But some in Kabul suspect that the Taliban militants have lists of people who work with the government and want them.
Samangani also described women as "the greatest victims of the more than 40 years of tragedy in Afghanistan."
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan no longer wants women to be victims again," she said. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to providing women with a place to work and learn, and the presence of women in various (governmental) institutions in accordance with Islamic law and our culture."
That would be a significant exit from the last time the Taliban came to power, when women were most trapped in their homes. Samangani did not explain exactly what he meant by Islamic law, meaning that people already knew the rules. He also said that "all parties must join" the government.
In another sign of Taliban attempts to produce a new image, a female anchor on television on a private radio station Tolo spoke to a Taliban official on camera on Tuesday in the studio - a communication that had never been unthinkable. Meanwhile, women wearing hijabs showed up briefly in Kabul, carrying signs that the Taliban were “dehumanizing women” in public life.
Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted the Taliban's vows and fears for those now under his rule.
"Such promises will have to be honored, and for a time - and understandably, in view of past history - these declarations were unquestionably accepted," he said in a statement. “There has been a lot of progress made in human rights over the past two decades. The rights of all Afghan people must be protected. ”
Germany suspended aid to Afghanistan, valued at 250 million euros ($ 294 million) by 2021. German media dpa described Afghanistan as the nation that received the highest aid in Berlin. Some support separately goes to security services and humanitarian assistance.
Swedish Development Minister Per Olsson Fridh said his government would delay aid to the country in an interview with Dagens Nyheter. But Britain is committed to growth.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said social assistance could increase by 10%. He said the aid budget would be reimbursed for the benefit and benefit of the people and that the Taliban would not receive the previously set amount of security - but that aid would not be limited to how the Taliban governed.
Meanwhile, Kabul International Airport, the only way out for many, was reopened on planes that took off from the military under the watchful eye of American troops.
All flights were suspended on Monday as thousands of people rushed to the airport, eager to leave the country. In the shocking scenes of the video, some cling to the plane as it took off and died. At least seven people have been killed in clashes at the airport, U.S. officials said.
Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO's top civil society representative in Afghanistan, posted a video online on Tuesday showing an empty street with U.S. troops in the temple. What appeared to be a military cargo plane could be seen from afar.
"I see the planes landing and taking off," he wrote on Twitter.
Overnight, tracking details show a U.S. military plane en route to Qatar, home of the US Central Command. A British military plane, bound for Kabul, has left Dubai.(ads1)
However, there were indications that the situation was tense. The U.S. ambassador to Kabul, now operating from the airport, urged Americans to register online to get out but not to enter the airport before being contacted.
The German Foreign Ministry said the first German military aircraft arrived in Kabul, but it could only take seven people before it took off again due to the ongoing unrest.
Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded in the war as Taliban invaded the country these days. In many places, however, security and politicians have given up their provinces and territories without a fight, perhaps fearing what will happen when the last U.S. military withdraws as planned by the end of the month.
Strong US President Joe Biden on Monday said he stood "behind" his decision to withdraw U.S. troops and acknowledged "strengthening of the guts" of the Kabul massacre. Biden said he was faced with a choice between honoring the previously announced withdrawal agreement or sending thousands of troops back to begin a decade-long war.
"After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there has never been a better time to withdraw U.S. troops," Biden said in a televised interview from the White House.
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Negotiations continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once led the country's negotiating council. The talks focused on how the Taliban-led government would function if given a change in Afghanistan over the past 20 years, rather than just separating who was in charge of what services, officials with information on the talks said. They spoke of requesting anonymity to discuss confidential details of the conversation.
Earlier, President Ashraf Ghani fled the country during the Taliban insurgency and his whereabouts are unknown.
Akhgar reported from Istanbul, Gannon of Guelph, Canada and Gambrell of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press authors Rahim Faiez in Istanbul, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Jan Olson in Copenhagen, Denmark, Pan Pylas in London, and Aya Batrawy in Dubai contributed to the report.
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