By Dominic Taylor-
The rights of women in Afghanistan will be respected “within the framework of Islamic law”, a Taliban spokesman said today. His selective word of ”respected” is actually synonymous with ”restricted”, when the implications and context of the Taliban’s reference to Islamic law is taking into account.
Speaking in the group’s first news conference since taking control of the country on Sunday, the Taliban’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid , refused to be specific about the nature of women’s rights under the new regime which he said would be guided by Islamic law. He indicated that this would come later.
Instead, they offered glimpses of hope that women will be able to be educated and join the government.
In a strong attempt to demonstrate a more moderate and flexible government, their spokesperson led a sophisticated PR campaign, which was unconvincing to skeptics. Arrangements are said to still be on schedule for this Friday to be on place for amputation of limbs for stealing, floggings, and the sort of punishment consistent with the extremities the group is trying to publicly distance themselves from.
Human rights groups say the Islamic framework suggested by the Taliban will amount to an infringement of women’s freedoms. Laws are expected to be imposed on women which they will have no power to challenge.
The militant group support punishments in line with their strict interpretation of Islam’s legal system, Sharia law, when it controlled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.
Women were at the time forced to wear the all-covering burka, and the Taliban also disapproved of girls aged 10 and over going to school. They were also often locked in their homes, and prohibited from listening to secular music
In the news briefing on Tuesday, Mr Mujahid fielded several questions from the international media about what women’s rights could look like under a Taliban government.
“We are going to allow women to work and study within our frameworks,” he said. “Women are going to be very active within our society.”
However, he declined to elaborate on the requirements for dress codes, and what roles women would be able to have within the country’s workforce.
The spokesman promised to achieve an amnesty for former members of the security forces and those who worked with foreign powers
line.
Rumours
The Taliban have also been trying to dispel “rumours” about violations by the group, and denied reports that they were forcing families to marry off their daughters to Taliban militants.
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 Taliban 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.
Mujahid emphasized that the Taliban have offered full amnesty to Afghans who worked for the U.S. and the Western-backed government, saying “nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped.” He said private media should “remain independent” but that journalists “should not work against national values.”
Kabul, the capital, has remained calm as the Taliban patrol its streets. But many remain fearful after prisons and armories emptied out during the insurgents’ sweep across the country.
Kabul residents say groups of armed men have been going door-to-door seeking out individuals who worked with the ousted government and security forces, but others argue that the armed men could be criminals posing as militants.
Demonstrations
A group of women wearing Islamic headscarves demonstrated briefly in Kabul, holding signs demanding the Taliban not “eliminate women” from public life.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. and other governments will not simply take the Taliban at their word when it comes to women’s rights.
“Like I’ve said all along, this is not about trust. This is about verify,” Sullivan said at a White House briefing. “And we’ll see what the Taliban end up doing in the days and weeks ahead, and when I say we, I mean the entire international community.
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 the Taliban 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 earmarked through 2024.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain might provide up to 10% more humanitarian aid, but the the Taliban would not get any money previously earmarked for security.
Evacuation Flights
Evacuation flights resumed after being suspended on Monday, when thousands of people rushed the airport.
In shocking scenes captured on video, some clung to a plane as it took off and then fell to their deaths. At least seven people died in the airport chaos, U.S. officials said.
Many thronged the runway, running alongside a moving military transporter aircraft as it prepared for take-off.
On Tuesday, the Taliban entered the civilian half of the airport, firing into the air to drive out around 500 people there, an Afghan official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul urged Americans to register online for evacuation but to avoid attending the airport before being contacted.
U.S. President Joe Biden has defended his decision to end America’s longest war, blaming the rapid Taliban takeover on Afghanistan’s Western-backed government and security forces. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that assessment, while saying the alliance must investigate the flaws in its efforts to train the Afghan military.
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