Taliban Announces "General Amnesty", Asks Women To Join Government

The Taliban declared an ¡°amnesty¡± across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government on Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country.

This as the Taliban moved to quickly restart the Afghan capital following their swift takeover of Kabul and told government staff to return to work, though residents reacted cautiously and few women took to the streets.

Reuters

Moderate than brutal rule in 1990s

Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical.

Older generations remember the Taliban¡¯s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as stonings, amputations and public executions before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Now the Taliban are back in power, they have sought to project an air of restraint and moderation, including by on Tuesday announcing a "general amnesty" for government workers.

AFP

"Those working in any part or department of the government should resume their duties with full satisfaction and continue their duties without any fear," a Taliban statement said.

Some shops also reopened as traffic police were back on the streets, while its officials planned a first diplomatic meeting -- with the Russian ambassador. A Taliban official also gave an interview to a female journalist on an Afghan news channel.

How the Taliban might govern on a national level

The promises of amnesty from Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban¡¯s cultural commission, were the first comments on how the Taliban might govern on a national level.

His remarks remained vague, however, as the Taliban are still negotiating with political leaders of the country¡¯s fallen government and no formal handover deal has been announced.

AFP

¡°The Islamic Emirate doesn¡¯t want women to be victims,¡± Samangani said, using the militants¡¯ name for Afghanistan. ¡°They should be in the government structure according to Shariah law.¡± That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes.

Samangani didn¡¯t describe exactly what he meant by Shariah, or Islamic, law, implying people already knew the rules the Taliban expected them to follow. He added that ¡°all sides should join¡± a government.

It was also not clear what he meant by an amnesty, although other Taliban leaders have said they won¡¯t seek revenge on those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign countries. But some in Kabul allege Taliban fighters have lists of people who cooperated with the government and are seeking them out.

Taliban's control over nation

The Taliban took effective control of the country on Sunday when president Ahraf Ghani fled and the insurgents walked into Kabul with no opposition. It capped a staggeringly fast rout of all cities in just 10 days, and achieved with relatively little bloodshed, following two decades of war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Reuters

The collapse came after President Joe Biden withdrew US troops, under the false belief that the Afghan army -- with billions of dollars in American funding and training -- was strong enough to withstand the Taliban.