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Don’t recognise Taliban regime

Resistance urges international community


Published : 08 Sep 2021 10:13 PM | Updated : 09 Sep 2021 01:24 AM

The resistance forces in Afghanistan have urged the international community not to recognise the newly-formed Taliban government calling it ‘illegal’.

The anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) said on Wednesday it considered the announcement of the Taliban's caretaker cabinet "a clear sign of the group's enmity with the Afghan people".

The all-male cabinet consists of Taliban leaders or their associates, including some blacklisted militant leaders. 

The head of the government Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund himself is blacklisted by the United Nations while another cabinet member Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted by American FBI.

According to a BBC story, the US has expressed concern that the interim government includes figures linked to attacks on US forces. The EU said the Islamist group had reneged on promises to make it "inclusive and representative".

The Taliban insist they have now defeated the NRF in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, but NRF leaders say they are still fighting.

In a statement, the US state department said it was concerned by the "affiliations and track records of some of the individuals".

The statement said Washington would "continue to hold the Taliban to their commitments" to allow safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans with travel documents, "including permitting flights currently ready to fly out of Afghanistan".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to hold a virtual meeting of 20 Western nations to co-ordinate a set of conditions for engagement with the Taliban government.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in a sweeping offensive more than three weeks ago. It now faces many tough challenges in the conflict-torn country, including stabilising the economy and gaining international recognition.

On Wednesday dozens of women marched in Kabul and in the province of Badakhshan, saying they would not accept a government without women.

Meanwhile, The Taliban have fired warning shots to disperse the crowd at a large protest in the Afghan capital, Kabul on Tuesday

Video footage from the scene shows people running to safety, while heavy gunfire can be heard in the background.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets on Tuesday to denounce Taliban rule and demand women's rights.

Protesters also chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, as many believe neighbouring Pakistan supports the Taliban, which the country denies.

A video sent to the BBC shows Taliban fighters firing their guns into the air - a move the group banned last week after several people were reported killed after celebratory aerial fire.

Guards at a nearby bank opened its basement car park to dozens of women who sheltered from the gunfire for about 20 minutes, one of the protesters told the BBC.

The Taliban, however, deny using violence against the demonstrations. They say protesters need permission to march and should not use abusive language.

They said in a statement that they want "strong and healthy" relations with other countries and would respect international laws and treaties as long as they did not conflict with "Islamic law and the country's national values".

Some journalists, including the BBC's team, were prevented from filming at the rally. Afghanistan's Tolo news agency reported that its cameraman was arrested and detained by the Taliban for nearly three hours.

A former government official, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that Taliban members were taking close-up photos of leading protesters, possibly to help identify them later.

Women have been protesting for the past week, but on Tuesday men also joined their calls for equality and safety. Many observers had commented that there were few men at the previous women-led rallies.

The protesters were heard chanting "long live the resistance" and "death to Pakistan" as they marched.

"The Islamic government is shooting at our poor people," one woman at the protest told Reuters news agency.

Another protester, Sarah Fahim, told AFP news agency: "Afghan women want their country to be free. They want their country to be rebuilt. We are tired... We want that all our people have normal lives. How long shall we live in this situation?"

The demonstrations come one day after Ahmad Massoud, the leader of anti-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, called for a "national uprising" by civilians against the militants.

Many protesters showed support for the resistance forces, who say they are still fighting off the Taliban in Panjshir.

The Taliban on Monday claimed victory in the province - the final pocket of territory which has remained outside their rule.