As soon as the news of beheading and beatings are coming out Afghanistan, ns Taliban It continues to emphasize that the new regime has changed since it was in power.
speaking on BBCTaliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Afghanistan’s new leader after 20 years of fighting wanted to create a “welfare state” for his people.
“We are the people of Afghanistan”, Suhail said on Saturday, asserting that violence is “not his policy” and that women have “their basic rights”.
Meanwhile, Kabul’s war-weary residents expressed feelings of anger and betrayal by the United States as the world marked its 20th anniversary. 9/11 The attacks prompted the US invasion of Afghanistan to topple the then Taliban rulers.
But after two decades of occupation, US forces abruptly withdrew from Afghanistan last month, leading to the collapse of its Western-backed government and the dramatic return of the Taliban to power.
The group claims that they have changed from 20 years ago, and intend to create a new country for their people. The report on the ground, however, paints a different picture.
Image: Afghan women hold placards on the side of a road during a pro-Taliban rally outside Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 11, 2021.
Shaheen told the BBC, ‘We are the people of Afghanistan. ‘Many of us were protesting jihad, against the then Soviet Union and now 20 years of occupation by the US and allies.
“Now, we are focused on uplifting the lives of our people, building Afghanistan, creating jobs for our people, building a welfare state,” he said.
‘If I compare it with the past, we had a domestic war, were fighting. But now we are paying more attention to our economic activities, employment generation, expansion of education, other needs of the people.
But despite the Taliban’s insistence that they have changed since they were in power from 1996 to 2001 – when women and girls were denied equal rights under strict Sharia law, television and music were banned. The ban was imposed – reports from the country suggest otherwise.
A video obtained by the Washington Examiner on Saturday Has shown Taliban fighters beheaded an Afghan soldier before singing, as they held the victim’s severed head higher than his hair.
Other footage showed militants thrashing and lashing people on the streets as reports emerged of targeted killings and door-to-door searches of fighters looking for blue US passports.
whereas Shocking pictures also surfaced Angry and bruised journalists after being detained by Taliban fighters.
Responding to questions about the violence displayed by the Taliban, Shaheen said: ‘Violence is not official policy. If everyone wants to protest, they should take permission from the Interior Minister and tell them that there will be a protest.
He said that those who want to protest, they will have to take official permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Without freedom of expression we go into a dictatorship which is against the laws of Islam,” he said. ‘But we don’t want to bring a chaotic situation and we had some ISIS people trying to break into the presidential palace and detonate themselves in the demonstrations.’
With regard to the alleged attacks on journalists, Shaheen said any such attack would be investigated in future.
Speaking on the BBC Today programme, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen (pictured in March earlier this year) said that after 20 years of fighting, Afghanistan’s new leader wanted to create a ‘welfare state’ for its people.
“With the passage of time we will make laws about the freedom of expression of journalists so that they can work in peace. These incidents will be probed.
Earlier this week, Taliban fighters were seen thrashing female protesters and opened fire to disperse protesters in Kabul – just hours after Islamists banned rallies.
Militants on Wednesday night announced a moratorium on demonstrations “for the time being” after the group was humiliated by viral images of women standing with them.
Footage posted online shows Taliban fighters beating up female protesters in the streets – in which a terrorist hits a woman with crutches, stabbing her in the arm before chasing her.
“They should share their concerns with the official authority, work with them and know the realities of the situation that instead of sitting and hiding, they will have all their basic rights,” the Taliban spokesman claimed.
‘I know the policy. They [women] Can go to the market, can go for shopping. I don’t know if anyone posing as Taliban is asking this question and defaming us. Of course we are committed to [letting women work].
Image: Taliban army guards the hands of Afghan women on a roadside during a pro-Taliban rally outside Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 11, 2021
‘They can come to work, we call on all women employees to resume their work. So the policy is there and will be completed in a few days.
Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule for almost a month now, with Kabul falling on 15 August. But for many in the country, it will take longer for the US and other Western countries to forgive terrorists than to leave the country.
Abdul Waris, a resident of Kabul, said, ‘The misfortune we are facing at present is because of America, when the white flags of the Taliban, decorated with Quranic lines, were hung from nearby lampposts.
Most of the young men who spoke to the Reuters news agency complained that the US military had not tried to help the Afghan people.
“After the events of September 11, Americans lived in our country for 20 years for their own benefit,” Jalil Ahmed said.
‘He took whatever benefit he had in his mind for 20 years while we did not get any benefit from him. They have left the country in a state of confusion.
Bearded Taliban fighters with guns strapped to their shoulders were seen around the capital, but the mood was calm and calm after a dramatic shift in recent weeks.
Footage posted online shows a terrorist hitting a woman with crutches, hitting her arm before chasing her.
“There is security now and security is good… God give the Taliban more strength to keep it (peace) forever,” said resident Gul Agha Lagmani.
US forces toppled the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks because they provided asylum to Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who carried out the attacks.
Since returning to power last month, the Taliban have appointed a caretaker cabinet, including several former terrorists held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay.
Western leaders have expressed concern over the outlook for human rights, especially women, under the Taliban regime. In the past two weeks there have been several street protests led by women, and some people have been detained and beaten up. The Taliban have promised an inquiry into such incidents.
When they were last in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban enforced a stricter version of Islamic law and people were often given public floggings, amputations and executions. Women’s rights to work and education were severely restricted.
There were relatively few women on the streets of Kabul on Saturday, and those outside had their heads covered – a fact welcomed by residents such as Shah Rauf.
‘There was a lot of uproar in our country in the presence of America. Women were unveiled,’ he said. ‘Most of our youth fled, many were martyred and many others suffered from war and misery by America.’
However, not all Afghan women are against the new Taliban regime.
Image: Afghan students listen to female speakers before a pro-Taliban rally outside Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul, Afghanistan September 11, 2021
On Saturday, hundreds of pro-Taliban Afghan women attended a lecture at Kabul University wearing full-face veils in support of the new regime’s hardline policies on gender segregation.
About 300 women – covered from head to toe in accordance with strict new dress policies for education – wavy white Taliban Flags as speakers expressed support for the raids and policies of Islamists against the West.
A handful wore blue burqas with only a small mesh window for viewing, but most wore black niqabs covering most of the face except for the eyes. Many also wore black gloves.
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