Taliban spokesperson addresses the public in the first conference following the armed group’s takeover of Afghanistan.
The Taliban vowed on Tuesday to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought them, and ensure Afghanistan doesn’t become a heaven for terrorists.
Following an offensive across Afghanistan that saw many citizens fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a strict form of Islamic rule in the late 1990s. Even so, many afghans remain skeptical – causing thousands to race to the airport in desperation to flee the country.
(AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)
Older generations remember the Taliban’s previous rule. Back then, they largely confined women to their homes, banned television and music, and held public executions. A U.S.-led invasion drove them from power months after the 9/11 attacks, which al-Qaida had orchestrated from Afghanistan while being sheltered by the Taliban.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s longtime spokesman, emerged from the shadows Tuesday in his first-ever public appearance to address those concerns at a news conference.
He promised the Taliban would honour women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law, without elaborating. The Taliban have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school, handing out Islamic headscarves at the door. A female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official Monday in a TV studio.
The treatment of women varies widely across the Muslim world and sometimes even within the same country, with rural areas tending to be far more conservative. Some Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan, have had female prime ministers, while ultraconservative Saudi Arabia only recently allowed women to drive.
International Response
Mujahid also said the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for attacking other countries, as it was in the years before 9/11.
That assurance was part of a 2020 peace deal reached between the group and the Trump administration that paved the way for the American withdrawal.
The Pentagon said U.S. commanders are communicating with the Taliban as they work to evacuate thousands of people through Kabul’s international airport.
It said the Taliban have taken no hostile actions there.
U.S. national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the U.S. and other governments will not take the Taliban at their word when it comes to women’s rights.
People hold a poster demanding the security of girls and other people in Afghanistan during a demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.
(Photo/Markus Schreiber)
The European Union said it was suspending development assistance to Afghanistan until the political situation is more clear but that it would consider boosting humanitarian aid.
EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said they must respect U.N. Security Council resolutions and human rights to earn access to some 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in development funds.
Talks continued Tuesday between the Taliban and several Afghan politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council. The Taliban have said they want to form an “inclusive, Islamic government.”
Published by HOLR Magazine