Taliban urges women to join government, announces ‘amnesty’ for govt officials
Taliban also issued decree to its fighters not to enter people’s houses and urged all government employees to return to work. The Mayor of Kabul and the acting Minister of Public Health were among those who returned to their jobs on Tuesday
The Taliban has urged Afghan women to join its government and declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan for all government officials.
The group is also trying to calm nerves across a tense capital city of Kabul that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as thousands mobbed the city's international airport in a desperate attempt to flee, reports the Al Jazeera.
Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, made the first comments on governance from a federal level across the country after their blitz across tAfghanistan and urged women to join its government.
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"The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims. They should be in government structure according to Shariah law," Samangani said.
"The structure of government is not fully clear, but based on experience, there should be a fully Islamic leadership and all sides should join," he added.
The head of the Taliban's Military Commission, Mullah Yaqoob, has issued a voice statement declaring that no one is allowed to enter anyone's house, especially in the city of Kabul. The statement came after unconfirmed reports that the group had entered the homes of people in the capital.
The group also urged all government employees to return to work. The Mayor of Kabul and the acting Minister of Public Health were among those who returned to their jobs on Tuesday.
Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed as a Western security official said on Tuesday that the Kabul airport's tarmac and runway – which troops from the United States control – were now clear of crowds.
The official said military flights evacuating diplomats and civilians from Afghanistan have started taking off.
At least seven people died in Monday's chaos, including several people who clung to the sides of a jet as it took off.
In Washington, DC, US President Joe Biden said he stood "squarely behind" his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and fired scorching criticism at the country's former Western-backed leadership for failing to resist the Taliban.
"I stand squarely behind my decision," he said in a televised address from the White House.
"After 20 years, I have learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces."
The Taliban have meanwhile declared the war in Afghanistan over and a senior leader said the group would wait until foreign forces had left before creating a new governance structure.
China said it was ready for "friendly relations" with the Taliban, while Russia and Iran also made diplomatic overtures.
