The AP Interview: Taliban seek ties with US, other ex-foes

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s caller Taliban rulers are committed successful rule to acquisition and jobs for girls and women, a marked departure from their erstwhile clip successful power, and question the world’s “mercy and compassion” to assistance millions of Afghans successful hopeless need, a apical Taliban person said successful a uncommon interview.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi besides told The Associated Press that the Taliban authorities wants bully relations with each countries and has nary contented with the United States. He urged Washington and different nations to merchandise upward of $10 cardinal successful funds that were frozen erstwhile the Taliban took powerfulness Aug. 15, pursuing a accelerated subject expanse crossed Afghanistan and the sudden, concealed formation of U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani.

“Sanctions against Afghanistan would ... not person immoderate benefit,” Muttaqi said Sunday, speaking successful his autochthonal Pashto during the interrogation successful the sprawling airy ceramic Foreign Ministry gathering successful the bosom of the Afghan superior of Kabul.

“Making Afghanistan unstable oregon having a anemic Afghan authorities is not successful the involvement of anyone,” said Muttaqi, whose aides see employees of the erstwhile authorities arsenic good arsenic those recruited from the ranks of the Taliban.

Muttaqi acknowledged the world’s outrage astatine the Taliban-imposed limitations connected girls’ acquisition and connected women successful the enactment force. In galore parts of Afghanistan, pistillate precocious schoolhouse students betwixt the grades of 7 and 12 person not been permitted to spell to schoolhouse since the Taliban took over, and galore pistillate civilian servants person been told to enactment home. Taliban officials person said they request clip to make gender-segregated arrangements successful schools and enactment places that conscionable their terrible mentation of Islam.

When they archetypal ruled from 1996-2001, the Taliban shocked the satellite by barring girls and women from schools and jobs, banning astir amusement and sports and occasionally carrying retired executions successful beforehand of ample crowds successful sports stadiums.

But Muttaqi said the Taliban person changed since they past ruled.

“We person have made advancement successful medication and successful authorities ... successful enactment with the federation and the world. With each passing time we volition summation much acquisition and marque much progress,” helium said.

Muttaqi said that nether the caller Taliban government, girls are going to schoolhouse done to Grade 12 successful 10 of the country’s 34 provinces, backstage schools and universities are operating unhindered and 100% of women who had antecedently worked successful the wellness assemblage are backmost connected the job. “This shows that we are committed successful rule to women participation,” helium said.

He claimed that the Taliban person not targeted their opponents, alternatively having announced a wide amnesty and providing immoderate protection. Leaders of the erstwhile authorities unrecorded without menace successful Kabul, helium said, though the bulk person fled.

Last month, the planetary radical Human Rights Watch published a study saying the Taliban summarily killed oregon forcibly disappeared much than 100 erstwhile constabulary and quality officials successful 4 provinces. However, determination person been nary reports of large-scale retribution.

Muttaqi charged the Afghan authorities that took powerfulness aft the U.S-led conjugation ousted the Taliban authorities successful 2001 carried retired wide revenge attacks against the Taliban. Hundreds disappeared oregon were killed, causing thousands to fly to the mountains, helium said. The Taliban were ousted for harboring al Qaida and Osama bin Laden who masterminded the 9/11 violent attacks successful the U.S.

Muttaqi insisted poorness and the imagination of a amended beingness — not fearfulness — drove thousands of Afghans to unreserved the Kabul airdrome successful mid-August successful hopes of getting to America. The crush of radical had generated searing images of men clinging to a departing American C-17 aircraft, portion others fell to the crushed arsenic the wheels retracted.

He said the Taliban person made mistakes successful their archetypal months successful powerfulness and that “we volition enactment for much reforms which tin payment the nation.” He did not elaborate connected the mistakes oregon imaginable reforms.

Muttaqi pushed backmost against comments by U.S. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie who told the AP past week that the al-Qaida extremist radical has grown somewhat wrong Afghanistan since U.S. forces near successful precocious August. McKenzie is Washington’s apical subject commandant successful the Middle East.

In a February 2020 woody that spelled retired the presumption of a U.S. unit withdrawal, the Taliban had promised to combat coercion and contradict violent groups a harmless haven.

Muttaqi said Sunday that the Taliban person kept that promise, on with a pledge not to onslaught U.S. and NATO forces during the last signifier of the withdrawal which ended successful precocious August.

“Unfortunately, determination are (always) allegation against the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , but determination is nary proof,” said Muttaqi. “If McKenzie has immoderate proof, helium should supply it. With assurance I tin accidental that this is simply a baseless allegation.”

Meanwhile, Islamic State militants person stepped up attacks connected Taliban patrols and spiritual minorities successful the past 4 months. The IS affiliate successful Afghanistan has targeted Shiite mosques successful the provincial capitals of Kunduz and Kandahar, and carried retired predominant attacks connected Taliban vehicles.

Muttaqi nevertheless said the Taliban person gained the precocious manus successful caller weeks, saying determination had not been a large onslaught successful the past month. Washington’s quality to way IS activities successful Afghanistan has been handicapped since the unit withdrawal.

Muttaqi said helium does not envision cooperating with the U.S. successful the conflict against the Islamic State.

However, helium did explicit anticipation that with time, “America volition slowly, dilatory alteration its argumentation toward Afghanistan” arsenic it sees grounds that a Taliban-ruled state capable to basal connected its ain is simply a payment to America.

“My past constituent is to America, to the American nation: You are a large and large federation and you indispensable person capable patience and person a large bosom to situation to marque policies connected Afghanistan based connected planetary rules and relegation, and to extremity the differences and marque the region betwixt america shorter and take bully relations with Afghanistan.”