The Taliban have been ordered to stay at the gates of the capital Kabul and not to enter the city, one of the group’s spokespersons announced this Sunday, August 15, as rebels besieged the capital and took control of the entire country.
The interior minister has said there will be no attacks, but a peaceful transfer of power to the transitional government. The Taliban support the move.
Taliban insurgents return to power, 20 years after being ousted by an international military alliance in 2001. following the September 11 attacks on the United States. The military intervention of the international community led to the dissolution of the group’s militants with the disappearance of Mullah Omar, head of the Supreme Council of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and ally of Osama Bin Laden.
Afghanistan’s Interior Minister said on Sunday, in a video message, that “peace change” is on the way to a speedy transition towards a transitional government. “Afghan people should not be worried,” said Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal. “There will be no more attacks in the capital Kabul,” he added, while President Ashraf Ghani has not yet said anything – after a speech he made in the past.
“The Taliban leadership has instructed all its forces to wait at the gates of Kabul city, not to try to enter the city,” he said this Sunday, on the social network Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “We do not want any innocent civilian to be injured or killed. Residents interviewed by al-AFP news agency have reported seeing armed Taliban militants in their county. But “there is no fighting,” said one of them.
The fate of president Ghani in trouble
The Taliban have confirmed that they want to retake power in Afghanistan without bloodshed, for a peaceful transition. This could be done in a matter of days, they told the BBC. “In the future, we want a change of peace,” said Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, as part of a group negotiating.
Is the president in that position? Ashraf Ghani has finally spoken this Sunday afternoon, French time. He called on security forces to ensure that “the security of all citizens is protected” by maintaining public order in Kabul. “It is our responsibility and we will do it in the best possible way. “Anyone who thinks of inciting violence or looting will be dealt with severely,” President Ghani said in a video message sent to the media.
