WASHINGTON – After taking over Afghanistan, the Taliban declared "amnesty" for government officials Tuesday and vowed to uphold women's rights under Islamic law – promises met with skepticism in Washington.
Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, women virtually had no rights under the fundamentalist Taliban's oppressive rule. Most were forced to quit their jobs and stay at home, denied access to education and health care, enduring high rates of illiteracy and maternal mortality.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said at a Tuesday press conference they were working to form a government and vowed that "nobody will be harmed." Mujahid said the Taliban's aim is to make sure "Afghanistan is no longer a battlefield of conflict."
"We have pardoned all those who have fought against us. Animosities have come to an end," he said. "We do not want to have any problems with the international community."
Hours after the Taliban press conference, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States won't take the group at its word but will watch its actions when it comes to human rights.
“This is not about trust. This is about verify," Sullivan told reporters at the White House. “And we'll see what the Taliban end up doing in the days and weeks ahead.”
Interpreters, drivers and others who helped U.S. and NATO forces fear the Taliban will "slaughter" them, viewing them as traitors.
Many Afghans remain so fearful of Taliban rule that they rushed departing planes after the group gained control of Kabul. Chaos unfolded just a day earlier at Hamid Karzai International Airport, where thousands desperate to flee the country forced the U.S. and other countries to halt the evacuation of diplomats and Afghan civilians who assisted American troops.
Mujahid also said the militant group is "committed to the rights of women under the system of sharia (Islamic) law," but emphasized they could work and study "within our frameworks."
"They are going to be working shoulder to shoulder with us. We would like to assure the international community that there will be no discrimination," he said.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan doesn’t want the women to be the victims anymore,” said Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission.
However, the Taliban regime was known for particularly violent enforcement of draconian codes. For instance, women seen in public without a male relative or wearing a burqa could be raped, abducted and forced into marriage. Women who were raped could also be executed.
As recently as May, a bombing at a girls’ school in Kabul killed dozens, many of them students between 11 and 15. Though the Taliban denied responsibility, the Afghan government blamed them.
White House National Security Adviser Sullivan said the U.S. has tools – including sanctions, international condemnation and isolation – it can deploy if women in Afghanistan are mistreated.
While Sullivan said his heart goes out to Afghan women and girls, he argued the choice was not between saving or abandoning them. Deciding to keep a U.S. military force in the country would have come with its own human costs for American soldiers.
“These are the choices a president has to make," he said.
The U.S. is now working with the Taliban, who have said they will provide safe passage to Kabul's airport for Americans and others trying to leave.
"I come at this with no expectations," Sullivan said when asked whether the Taliban is different than it was in 2001. “It’s going to be up to the Taliban to show the rest of the world who they are and how they intend to proceed. The track record has not been good.”
Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a statement air traffic controllers and ground handlers at Kabul's airport are "rapidly scaling up operations to ensure the smooth flow of military reinforcements to the airport and the evacuation of U.S. and partner civilians."
McKenzie said he made clear to Taliban senior leaders in Doha Sunday that interference with the evacuation or any attack "would be met with overwhelming force in the defense of our forces."
"The protection of U.S. civilians and our partners is my highest priority and we will take all necessary action to ensure a safe and efficient withdrawal."
Mujahid also said private media could continue be to independent but said journalists "should not work against national values."
The White House also froze Afghan reserves on Sunday in an attempt to block the Taliban from accessing money in U.S. banks, according to the Washington Post.
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Evacuation flights from Kabul underway
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The Kabul airport was back open and as many as 800 people have been evacuated overnight, including 165 U.S. citizens, said Army Gen. William Taylor, an official on the Joint Staff.
U.S. military commanders in Kabul are communicating with Taliban officials outside the international airport to allow for the safe evacuation of U.S. citizens and Afghans, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Tuesday.
Kirby declined to characterize the discussions but said “the results are speaking for themselves.”
Evacuation flights could carry as many as 9,000 people out of Afghanistan per day, Taylor said. The airport has been secured by American Marines and soldiers, and more than 4,000 troops will be on the ground by the end of Tuesday, he added.
Biden's remarks draw bipartisan criticism; $500M pledged for refugees
The first comments about how the militant group said it plans to govern come as President Joe Biden defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops despite the rapid collapse of the Afghan government.
The president returned to Camp David, the Maryland presidential retreat, and stayed largely out of view as he drew bipartisan criticism for the administration's handling of the evacuations.
Following his remarks, the White House announced Biden allocated $500 million from the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund to assist refugees fleeing Afghanistan.
The additional funds will be used to meet "unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs of refugees, victims of conflict, and other persons at risk as a result of the situation in Afghanistan, including applicants for Special Immigrant Visas," according to the White House.
Kirby told ABC's "Good Morning America" the U.S. vowed to meet "our moral and sacred obligations" to allied Afghans.
“We plan on being on the ground there in Afghanistan for the next couple of weeks,” Kirby said during an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It’s not just about moving out Americans. It is very much about meeting our moral and sacred obligations to those Afghans who helped us over the last 20 years, getting as many of them out as we can.”
FAQ: Would it have been different under Trump?
Contributing: Associated Press
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