Original Title: Focus on Kabul | The Taliban Says To Form an Inclusive Government
On August 17, local time, the Afghan Taliban regained control of the capital Kabul for the third day. A Taliban spokesperson told the outside world that the situation in Kabul has been brought under control. Many pictures on social media showed that some areas of Kabul city began to return to normal order, and some traffic police began to return to work.
The senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Mutaki also issued an order prohibiting all members of the organization from entering the homes of any former government official, threatening related personnel or extorting property from them, and those who participated in similar “sabotage operations” will be severely punished.
At the same time, there are still many Afghan people flocking to Kabul International Airport, eager to leave. In the chaos that lasted for many days, Kabul Airport has repeatedly announced the suspension of all flights. Currently, countries are still intensively evacuating relevant personnel.
What will the future government structure look like?
The whereabouts of President Ghani of Afghanistan is currently a mystery. Afghan local media reported on the morning of August 17 that former Afghan President Karzai will go to Doha, the capital of Qatar, to hold talks with leaders of the Taliban organization. A person in charge of the Taliban’s Doha office has previously told the outside world that they are “discussing the future government structure” with Afghan politicians. He emphasized that the Taliban “does not have the will to monopolize power” and hopes to dialogue with all parties to form an inclusive Islamic government.
On August 17, the Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid announced on social media that the organization would grant an amnesty to all Afghan government staff and members of the security forces. Mujahid also pointed out that the Taliban now has complete control of the situation in the capital Kabul, and law and order have been restored. The Taliban called on all government staff to return to work as soon as possible.
In addition, Agence France-Presse also reported on the 17th that after the top Afghan Taliban ordered the pardon of all government soldiers and civil servants, they urged them to regain confidence in life.
According to Xinhua News Agency, on the 16th, personnel from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health and Kabul municipal department began to resume work. The Acting Minister of Public Health Wahid Majruh and the Taliban head of health affairs appeared on the TV screen at the same time on the same day, calling on medical staff, including women, to return to work as soon as possible.
According to US media reports, the Taliban also called on women to join the work of the government under the leadership of the new government. However, given that the Taliban ruled Kabul 20 years ago, women were prohibited from appearing in public alone. A 27-year-old citizen of Kabul told the American media that he did not see a woman on the street during the 15-minute drive from the house on the 16th. “It’s like time stands still, everything has changed.”
The UN Security Council issued a media statement after an emergency meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on the 16th, calling on all parties in Afghanistan to establish a united, inclusive and representative new government through inclusive negotiations, and to allow women to participate fully, equally and meaningfully.
Will terrorism reignite?
With the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan, many parties worry that terrorist networks in Afghanistan may quickly regroup.
On August 16, 2021 local time, Taliban members patrolled the streets in Kabul, Afghanistan.People’s Visual Map
US Secretary of Defense Austin pointed out on the 16th that given that the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan, he hopes to reassess the possibility of reorganization of the “Al-Qaida” and extremist organization “Islamic State” in Afghanistan. However, the U.S. Department of Defense is still unable to “make a firm judgment” on the exact prediction of the threat of terrorism in the next few weeks or months.
French President Macron made a televised speech on August 16 local time, saying that Afghanistan, which was regained by the Taliban, cannot become a “terrorist sanctuary” as it did 20 years ago. He also said that he had already talked with British Prime Minister Johnson and that the “joint initiative” between the two parties would be reached in the next few hours.
British Chief Minister and Minister of Foreign Development Raab warned the Taliban on the 17th that they must not launch terrorist attacks through Afghanistan. He said that the West must have a positive influence on those Taliban fighters who occupied Afghanistan after the United States withdrew.
Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on the 16th that Russia does not believe that the Afghan Taliban poses a threat to Central Asia, and believes that under the Taliban, Afghanistan will not become a “hotbed” for extremist organizations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular press conference on the 17th that he hopes that the new Afghan regime should draw a clear line between various international terrorist forces and restrain and combat terrorist forces including the “Eastern Iraq Movement”. , To prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces. China will continue to maintain close communication and coordination with all parties concerned to promote the cessation of war in Afghanistan as soon as possible and to achieve lasting peace.
The evacuation progress of relevant personnel in various countries
After the Taliban occupied Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the Kabul airport was chaotic. The British Ministry of Defense confirmed on the 16th local time that it will send an additional 200 soldiers to Kabul Airport to ensure the safe withdrawal of relevant personnel from Afghanistan. The British Home Office stated on the evening of August 16 that the UK had accepted more than 3,300 Afghan translators, staff and their families. British officials also revealed that they are considering accepting the number of Afghans or giving priority to accepting Afghan women and girls.
Regarding the large number of displaced people in Afghanistan, Macron said in a speech on the 16th that on the one hand, the European Union will formulate a plan to prevent the large number of refugees that may flow from Afghanistan and combat possible illegal human trafficking groups. France and Germany will work together with other EU countries to formulate uniform standards to prevent irregular immigration in order to show the unity of the EU.
On the other hand, Macron emphasized that France will continue to “fulfil its responsibilities to protect the most threatened people in Afghanistan.” France has transferred nearly 800 Afghans who have helped France, including translators and cooks, to France, and will assist dozens of related personnel who remain in Afghanistan to leave the country.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated at the CDU party committee meeting in Berlin on the 16th that the German government will work closely with Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and make every effort to help these countries receive refugees. She also pointed out that the mistake of 2015 (the refugee crisis) cannot be repeated. According to her, the 10,000 Afghans that Germany needs to evacuate this time include 2,500 locals who have worked for Germany, some activists and lawyers, and their families. However, Reuters reported that since the Taliban took over Kabul on the 15th, the first German military plane that landed at Kabul Airport only evacuated 7 people.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a report on the 17th that the Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan has been temporarily closed, and 12 staff members of the Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan left Kabul for Dubai on August 17.
According to Al Jazeera, the US government has stated that it plans to transfer thousands of American citizens living in Afghanistan, Afghans and their families who have worked with the Americans, and other Afghan citizens who need help. The United States started the “Special Immigrant Visa” (SIV) program in 2009, allowing Afghans and their families who have worked with the United States to immigrate to the United States. According to data from the International Rescue Committee, there are currently about 18,000 applications in progress, and thousands more are eligible. However, some human rights organizations have claimed that the project is facing problems such as “backlog” and “delay”. Some U.S. Democratic congressmen claimed that the United States has a “moral responsibility” to Afghanistan and must help refugees leave Afghanistan safely and quickly to come to the United States, and provide real support for them to rebuild their lives. A spokesperson for the US Department of Defense said on the 16th that three military bases in the United States are ready to receive nearly 22,000 evacuated Afghan citizens.
In the face of people eager to flee Afghanistan, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on the 16th local time that the Taliban will not punish and persecute Afghans who have cooperated with the Americans.
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