A new Taliban interim government drawn exclusively from loyalist ranks formally began work Wednesday and have passed one of its first orders, banning unauthorized protests in Kabul.
Meanwhile, the international community has held a virtual meeting participated by 20 countries including Pakistan on the future of Afghanistan. The US has said that the Taliban would have to “earn” international legitimacy.
In another development, former President Ashraf Ghani has apologized to the Afghan nation for fleeing the country.
Protests
In the capital Kabul, a small rally on Wednesday was quickly dispersed by armed Taliban security, while Afghan media reported a protest in the northeastern city of Faizabad was also broken up.
Hundreds protested on Tuesday, both in the capital and in the city of Herat, where two people at the demonstration site were shot dead.
Late Wednesday, the Taliban moved to snuff out further protests, issuing an order saying prior authorization will be needed from the justice ministry — and warning that violators “will face severe legal action”.
And “for the time being”, demonstrations are not allowed — at all.
Legitimacy must be ‘earned’
After leading a virtual 20-nation ministerial meeting on the Afghan crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said any international legitimacy for the Taliban government would have to be “earned”.
Blinken said the ministerial talks were the “starting point for international coordination” on how to deal with the Taliban.
Among the countries that participated in the virtual meeting were European allies and Pakistan.
“The Taliban seek international legitimacy. Any legitimacy — any support — will have to be earned,” Blinken told reporters.
The European Union said the “caretaker” government failed to honour vows from the new rulers to include different groups.
China meanwhile said it welcomed the end of “three weeks of anarchy”, adding it “attaches great importance” to the announcement of an interim government.
Qatar, the central intermediary between the Taliban and the international community in recent years, said the Taliban had demonstrated “pragmatism” of late.
“Let’s seize the opportunities there,” Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater told AFP in an exclusive interview, but she stopped short of announcing formal recognition of the government.
Ghani Apologises
Former president Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country on August 15 as the Taliban entered Kabul, apologised Wednesday to the Afghan people for how his rule ended.
Ghani said he left at the urging of the palace security in order to avoid the risk of bloody street fighting, and again denied stealing millions from the treasury.
“I apologize to the Afghan people that I could not make it end differently,” he said on Twitter.
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