KABUL – The Taliban do not want to have any internal or external enemies, and intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman said yesterday.
At its first press conference since the Taliban’s takeover of most parts of Afghanistan on Sunday, Xinhua quoted the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as saying they do not want any internal or external enemies, but to have good relations with everybody to develop the country’s economy and achieve prosperity.
“We don’t want to repeat any conflict, any war again,” he said.
“Animosities have come to an end, and we would like to live peacefully. We don’t want any internal and external enemies.”
Talking about current discussions of forming a new government, Mujahid said all Afghans will have representation in the future set-up of Afghanistan.
“Talks and consultations are continuing very seriously with politicians on the formation of a new government, over its name and flag.
“Afghanistan will have a strong, Islamic government,” he said, adding that the Taliban leadership is working and consulting on the name and specification of the new government.
The spokesman said the Taliban supreme leader has declared a general amnesty, promising to ensure the safety of the contractors and translators who had worked for the United States (US) and allied forces, the government soldiers who had been fighting the Taliban for years, and those whose families were attempting to leave Afghanistan.
“We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability and peace in Afghanistan,” Mujahid said.
He also called on Afghans to stay as they are the nation’s assets.
When asked about Afghan women’s rights, he said women will be allowed to work and study in different fields, for example in the health and education sectors and as prosecutors, but within the framework of sharia or Islamic law, and they will be offered all rights within the Islamic principles because women play a vital role in society.
“We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination.”
The spokesman said Afghanistan wants to have good relations with foreign countries to revive its economy and ensure prosperity, and the Taliban will use the country’s natural resources for national reconstruction.
Afghanistan will be drug-free if the international community provides assistance so that it can have alternative crops, he said.
The Taliban controls Afghanistan’s borders, said Mujahid, adding that there will be no smuggling of weapons, and all weapons used in the fighting will be collected and registered.
When asked about the risk of Afghanistan hosting al-Qaeda, the spokesman said: “Afghanistan’s soil is not going to be used against anybody. We can assure the international community of that.”
He also said that the private media can continue to be free and independent, and it should not work against the Taliban.
In another development, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief of the Taliban, returned to Afghanistan from Qatar yesterday.
Since US troops started to pull out of Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has launched major offensives on Afghan forces. During the past two weeks, the Taliban blitz has taken large swathes of Afghanistan’s territories, including the capital, Kabul. – Bernama, August 18, 2021
