The Taliban are continuing to consolidate power in Afghanistan amid reports of violence against protesters in the eastern part of the country, a day after the Islamist group announced the “war is over” and there would be no retribution.
Witnesses say Taliban insurgents fired into the air and beat people with batons in the city of Jalalabad, where a group of demonstrators tried to take down a Taliban flag and replace it with the Afghan national flag Wednesday. At least three people were killed and many other injured. The Taliban did not comment on the matter.
The Taliban on Tuesday vowed to respect women's rights “within Islamic law” and form an “inclusive Islamic” government.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted late Wednesday that the United States and its partners in the world were calling on those in power in Afghanistan to guarantee the rights and protection of women and girls in the country.
“We will monitor closely how any future government ensures their rights and freedoms,” he wrote.
The situation around the Afghan capital, Kabul, continued to remain calm Wednesday, days after the Taliban took control of the city. Traffic had increased from Sunday, when streets were nearly deserted. More women were visible on the streets Wednesday but most of them were either old women or very young girls.
The normal crowd of young Afghan women on the streets or in cafes in Kabul's chic areas was missing. The women were more covered than was normal for Kabul before the Taliban takeover. Men were also wearing the local dress, shalwar kameez.
The Taliban ruled the country with a strict interpretation of the Quran and Sharia law as it held power from 1996 until 2001 when a U.S.-led invasion ousted the group in response to the September 11 terror attacks in the United States.
Fears about a return to that style of rule, along with reprisals against those who worked for aid groups or foreign military forces, have prompted crowds of civilians in Kabul to seek evacuation along with foreign diplomats and other foreign nationals.
Despite aiming to increase the pace of its evacuations to what officials said they hoped would reach 5,000 to 9,000 people per day, a White House official said late Wednesday that U.S. military flights had taken 1,800 people out of the country during the past day. The official said since Saturday, the U.S. has evacuated nearly 6,000 people overall.
U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan until all Americans are evacuated, even if that goes past the August 31 deadline set for withdrawing the last U.S. troops from the country.
The Taliban takeover has raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
The World Food Program’s director in the country, Mary Ellen McGroarty, told reporters Wednesday there is what she called a humanitarian “catastrophe” unfolding with 14 million people facing severe hunger. In addition to the political instability, she cited the challenges of a severe drought in Afghanistan as well as the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Monetary Fund cited “a lack of clarity within the international community regarding recognition of a government in Afghanistan” as it announced Wednesday the suspension the country’s access to resources.
Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul as the Taliban closed in on the capital city to topple his government, said in a video statement posted on his Facebook page Wednesday that he supports negotiations between the militant group and top former officials. He said he does not intend to remain in exile in the United Arab Emirates and cited the “failure of the peace process” for the Taliban being able to seize power.
Ayesha Tanzeem in Kabul, Ayaz Gul in Islamabad contributed to this report. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.
