“The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over”, says the Taliban leader in Kabul after the militant group took control of the presidential palace in Kabul.
"Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen. They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years," Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office, told Al Jazeera TV.
Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan will meet with the Taliban in Kabul on Tuesday, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov said. AFP reports that Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan will meet with the Taliban in Kabul on Tuesday, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov says, adding that Moscow will decide on recognising the new government based on its "conduct". This will be the first diplomatic engagement with the new Taliban regime in Kabul.
Also read: Pakistan worried as Taliban releases anti-Pak militants after taking over Afghanistan
The Chinese government on Monday said that it is ready to develop "friendly relations" with the Taliban as the insurgent group completed its military takeover. "China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop… friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, reports AFP.
The Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mohmmad Qureshi too had a meeting with Taliban leaders in Islamabad. Though names of leaders were not given, sources say some of them are from the Quetta Shura of the Taliban, based in Quetta in Pakistan.
افغان رہنماوں کے ساتھ ملاقات میں وزیر خارجہ شاہ محمود قریشی سے "مجھے قوی امید ہے کہ ہم مل کر امن اور مفاہمت کو آگے بڑھا سکتے ہیں۔افغان قیادت کیلئے لازم ہے کہ وہ اس تاریخی موقع کا فائدہ اٹھاتے ہوئے،افغانستان کے وسیع البنیاد اور جامع سیاسی حل کی راہ ہموار کریں pic.twitter.com/cIeBfwlz6n
— Tahir Khan (@taahir_khan) August 16, 2021
In tune with its goal of projecting a benign face, the Taliban has ordered its fighters that no one will be allowed to enter anyone's house without permission. Life, property and honor of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the Taliban.
Is this for the benefit of the Afghan people or the international community?
کابل ښار وضعیت نورمال دی، مجاهدین د امنیت په تأمینولو بوخت دي.
هیوادوال دې ډاډه اوسي. pic.twitter.com/7EftlJuJLx— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) August 16, 2021
Back to Doha, no one is talking about the intra-Afghan deal. Instead Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the Afghan National Reconciliation, former President Hamid Karzai, Hizb-e Islami political and paramilitary group leader Gulbudin Hekmatyar have formed a council for the transition of power to the Taliban. An Afghan government delegation led by top peace official Abdullah Abdullah is already in Doha, and set to attend an international meeting on Afghanistan's peace process.
Taliban's Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is to arrive in Afghanistan, according to an official in Doha. Earlier, acting Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said in a televised address that a peaceful transition would take place but no details have as yet been confirmed. Taliban officials told Reuters there would be no transitional government in Afghanistan and that the group expects a complete handover of power.
Meanwhile, what happened to the US-Taliban Doha agreement ?
Head of US forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan met Taliban leaders in Doha, Qatar on Monday warning them not to attack Americans evacuating Kabul. Since the take over by the Taliban, the media savvy US special representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad is not to be seen in Doha, raising doubts about his “role” in the fall of the Ghani government. Experts say that he was given a task by the former US president Trump, and he delivered it. Regarding his “role,” some feel that he deliberately crafted a “fictional” narrative around the infra-Afghan talks which had to fail. “His job was to get the US troops withdrawal and as a career diplomat he delivered to his master. Yes he has close links with major influential stakeholders.”
Also read: Who are the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and why are they giving Islamabad a big headache?
Arun Kumar Singh, former ambassador to the US, told indianarrative.com that it was wrong to say that the development in Afghanistan was pre scripted by the US. “The US came here with their war on terror banner, and after throwing the Taliban out, tried to develop Afghanistan as a sovereign state with its own army. But they failed,” said Singh.
America’s war on terror came to an end in a flop show. The Taliban is back again, the US has abandoned the country after 20 years and the leaders- the rulers just fled fearing for their lives.
