On Anniversary of Taliban Takeover, Glee, Mourning and an Embrace of Jihad

Christina Goldbaum and 

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan

Celebrations marking the third year since the U.S. withdrawal are amplifying a divide in Afghanistan over what principles it should be governed by.

The parade of cars rolled through Kabul from morning until night, clogging the streets in end-to-end traffic. Crowds of Taliban and their supporters lined the routes, chanting “God is great!” and “Long live the mujahedeen!” One truck dragged an American flag, a red X drawn across its stars and stripes.

Outside the old U.S. embassy, young children — maybe 6 or 7 years old — wearing military fatigues stood on the top of a gray Toyota pickup, clutching small white Taliban flags. A dozen others crammed into the back of the truck, white flags draped over their shoulders. Yet more flags were stapled onto wooden poles, waving in the air.

“Our way is jihad!” a man shouted through a loudspeaker from the passenger seat. The children responded: “Long live jihad!”

With August in Afghanistan come weeks of celebrations marking the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal — the last American planes peeled off the runway at Kabul’s international airport on Aug. 30, 2021 — and the Taliban’s return to power.

The month has become a time of victors and vanquished, the swell of white flags marking conquered territory, just as past empires planted their own banners. It is also a time of heightened emotions, seeming to amplify the gulf between those who support the Taliban’s conservative rule and those who embraced the liberal ideals of the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

The country remains deeply divided over fundamental questions of what principles it should be governed by, and what ideals it should hold. The only point of consensus seems to be that three years into Taliban rule — with its extreme version of Shariah law — it is here to stay.

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As ordinary Afghans have adjusted to their new reality, so too have Taliban fighters. Once scrappy insurgents crafting homemade explosives and plotting ambushes from mountain hide-outs, they now serve as traffic cops, security guards and government bureaucrats. Many can count on one hand the number of times they have fired their weapons in the past three years, each one a celebration of sorts — the Eid holiday or a winning match for Afghanistan’s national cricket team.

Among the Talibs who have come out on the streets to celebrate, there has been a palpable itch for a return to jihad and martyrdom — the only way to live an honorable life, many say, and a guiding belief instilled in them since they were children in Taliban-run madrassas.

“In these three years, we are fixing the roads, helping other people, but we want to continue the jihad,” Panjshiri Shinwari, 27, said on Wednesday when the celebrations commenced. A Taliban fighter who joined the movement during the U.S.-led war, he now works for the government’s intelligence agency, the General Directorate of Intelligence.

He and a group of friends had joined the celebrations at Mahmood Khan Bridge, which stretches over the Kabul River, now a dry channel of weeds and sewage.

“I want to go to Palestine,” Mr. Shinwari continued. “We are all ready to continue our jihad in Palestine!”

“No, it’s Pakistan’s turn,” another young Talib, Ashiqullah Naziri, 19, piped in.

“Our first enemy is Pakistan. They destroyed our country,” he added, referring to the support that Pakistani authorities gave to American troops in Afghanistan. “We can’t just leave them alone after that!”

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As they spoke, a swell of young Talibs converged around them. Most wore cargo pants, American-made combat boots and black long-sleeve T-shirts with a faded logo of what looked like an American commando stamped on its shoulder. The Talibs’ embrace of the style of American soldiers is just one of the many ways the country has been turned on its head since the takeover.

“For jihad!” one of them yelled. The crowd cheered.

The anniversary celebrations span the country. In Kandahar, the Taliban’s southern heartland, a convoy of armored cars from the emir’s special protection force paraded through the city on Wednesday. In Helmand Province, another stronghold, a procession of motorcycles carrying the Taliban’s flag rode through the capital. And at Bagram Air Base, once America’s largest military post in Afghanistan, a procession of repurposed American tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters took over the runway.

In Kabul, the celebratory convoy of cars — a mix of government-owned and private vehicles — crawled around the city’s main squares. Many had large flags hanging out of all four windows, a version of the Shahadah, or the Muslim profession of faith, embossed on the white fabric. As the summer breeze picked up, the flags grew taut and the Arabic words decipherable.

At the Mahmood Khan roundabout, a Taliban policeman sat in the passenger seat of his forest green Ford Ranger, singing a tarana — a religious chant with a melody but no musical accompaniment — into a loudspeaker. A group had surrounded his vehicle, small flags tucked into the folds of their black turbans.

“The candle of success and freedom came back to our country! The sun of freedom came again to our sky!” the man sang. “Congratulations to all Afghans, independence has come again!” The Talibs in the crowd held their cellphones in the air, taking videos during the song.

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But for other Afghans in the city, its lyrics rang hollow.

“It is a black day for Afghans,” said Esmatullah, 25, a doctor who is among Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic minority, which was persecuted by the Pashtun-dominated Taliban during their first time running the country, in the 1990s. “I felt like a migrant today, like I was not in my country,” he added.

Esmatullah, who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of retribution for speaking against the government, is trying to avoid the celebrations. He said they served as a reminder not of Afghanistan earning its freedom, but of being conquered by Pashtuns.

Still, for many ordinary Afghans who suffered at the hands of foreign and Afghan republic soldiers, the anniversary is not so much a celebration of the current government as it is of the end of two decades of war.

“War is gone, death is gone,” said Barakatullah Azizi, 23.

Mr. Azizi’s three brothers all joined the Taliban during the war, he said, while he worked as a shopkeeper in Kabul to earn money for his family. One of his brothers, Mansour Azizi, was killed nine years ago in an ambush by Afghan republic soldiers.

His brother’s death haunted him for months, he said. Every day, when he saw republic soldiers in the capital, he wondered which of them had killed his brother, and from whom he should seek revenge.

Now, he says, he walks through the city streets at ease.

“There is peace,” he said. “That’s what we are celebrating.”

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Safiullah Padshah contributed reporting.

Christina Goldbaum is the Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief for The Times, leading the coverage of the region.

On Anniversary of Taliban Takeover, Glee, Mourning and an Embrace of Jihad
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Afghan journalist: ‘We work in fear’

Voice of America

At a radio station in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province, the managing editor says he double checks everything before broadcasting, making sure that “nothing is against the Taliban and their policies.”

His intense checking of content is just one of many ways journalists like him have changed how they work since the Taliban took power.

“We work in fear,” said the editor, who has worked in journalism for around 10 years and asked not to be named out of security concerns.

“What if something goes on air that the Taliban don’t like? We try to make sure that it doesn’t create problems for us, for our colleagues and the radio,” he said.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan three years ago, they have tightened their grip over what can and cannot be broadcast and have increased restrictions on media. But not all rules are laid out clearly, and journalists are at risk of arbitrary detention or having licenses revoked.

The Taliban’s “systematic persecution” of media means it is “not easy for journalists to fulfill their mission of providing news and information to the citizens,” said Gul Mohammad Graan, president of the Afghanistan chapter of the South Asian Association of Reporters Club and Journalists Forum, or SJF.

The radio editor told VOA that media in Afghanistan “can’t even air the voices and complaints of local communities.”

The restrictions have resulted in a significant decline in press freedom in Afghanistan, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which is known as RSF.

The country is currently ranked the third-worst for media freedom, coming in at 178 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best media environment.

In 2021, just before the Taliban takeover, it ranked 122.

Afghanistan third worst in world for press freedom

A Taliban spokesperson did not respond to VOA’s request for comment. But the Taliban have previously said that media have unrestricted freedom and support from the government if they follow the country’s laws and Islamic values.

Declining numbers

Like other provinces, Logar has seen a drop in the number of journalists due to financial and political problems.

The radio journalist said the province has 30 journalists — all of them men — who work in five nongovernment-affiliated radio stations — a 50% decrease from 2021.

The decline is a trend seen across Afghanistan. In the first three months of the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, 43% of the media outlets closed, and more than two-thirds of the 12,000 media workers lost their jobs, according to RSF. The country’s female journalists were among those most affected.

Afghan Radio Squeezed by Economic, Political Pressures

Only a few female journalists remain in the profession because of rules that they must cover their faces on TV or cannot travel without a close male guardian.

Additionally, women are denied access to official sources, said a journalist and member of a media watchdog group in Afghanistan who requested anonymity. Some have said they were not allowed to enter press conferences and government buildings.

“There are no female journalists in most of the provinces, particularly in the southern and eastern provinces,” the radio journalist said. He added that the Taliban’s strict restrictions, compounded by economic problems, have made it difficult for women to work in the media sector.

‘Threats, detentions continue’

Large numbers of journalists have fled Afghanistan since August 2021. Those still working in the country do so under increasing pressure.

“There are no cases of journalists killed in the past few months. But threats, detentions and pressure on journalists have continued, and journalists work in an environment of fear,” the journalist said.

The Afghanistan Journalists Center has documented 181 media violation cases in the past 12 months, including 133 cases of threats, the suspension of several licenses, and 48 arrests.

But the watchdog said a positive change in the third year of the Taliban’s rule is a reduction in the number of targeted attacks on journalists.

No clear policies

Part of the problem for Afghanistan’s media is uncertainty.

A month after seizing power, the Taliban issued 11 directives for broadcasting in the country, which watchdogs and journalists said was the Taliban’s plan to control and censor news and information.

The Taliban’s spokesperson said on several occasions that the media law under the former government remained in force.

Taliban Show ‘No Commitment to Press Freedom’

But a Kabul-based journalist who requested his identity not to be disclosed told VOA the Taliban are not clear about their own media policies.

“The reason that it is so difficult to work under the Taliban is that there are no laws,” the journalist said. “For a journalist, it is difficult to know how the Taliban would react to content, as there are many Taliban departments involved in dealing with media.”

RSF has also found that to be the case.

“The situation is particularly confusing for journalists who receive directives from many different parts of the government,” its research states.

Despite the restrictions, Graan of SJF said the media still have “a positive impact,” creating awareness and informing the public of local and international events.

“Even with all these limitations under the Taliban, I think it is important that the media continue their work,” he said.

Back in Logar province, the radio journalist remains hopeful that things for media will improve.

“We are here in Afghanistan. We don’t have any other place to go. And we will continue,” he said.

Afghan journalist: ‘We work in fear’
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Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO

BY  RIAZAT BUTT
Associated Press
August 15, 2024

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a United Nations agency said Thursday. Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans female secondary and higher education.

The Taliban, who took power in 2021, barred education for girls above sixth grade because they said it didn’t comply with their interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. They didn’t stop it for boys and show no sign of taking the steps needed to reopen classrooms and campuses for girls and women.

UNESCO said at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age limit of 12 every year.

“If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans were introduced, there are now almost 2.5 million girls in the country deprived of their right to education, representing 80% of Afghan school-age girls,” UNESCO said.

The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment.

Access to primary education has also fallen since the Taliban took power in Aug. 2021, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, according to UNESCO data.

The U.N. agency warned that authorities have “almost wiped out” two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan. “ The future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy,” it added.

It said Afghanistan had 5.7 million girls and boys in primary school in 2022, compared with 6.8 million in 2019. The enrollment drop was the result of the Taliban decision to bar female teachers from teaching boys, UNESCO said, but could also be explained by a lack of parental incentive to send their children to school in an increasingly tough economic environment.

“UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labor and early marriage,” it said.

Decades of conflict and instability have left millions of Afghans on the brink of hunger and starvation and unemployment is high.

Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO
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Afghanistan at risk of becoming a ‘Forgotten Crisis,’ warn aid agencies

Tolo News

Heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, Afghans are trapped in cycles of poverty, displacement, and despair. Without international support, Afghanistan risks becoming a forgotten crisis, according to a statement from 10 aid organizations released on Tuesday.

The aid organizations emphasized the urgent need for long-term development assistance to address the root causes of poverty in Afghanistan.

Signatories warned that diminishing humanitarian funding is severely impacting daily life, with reduced funding for medium and longer-term programs exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and increasing the humanitarian burden.

Action Against Hunger (ACF), CARE International, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and other agencies highlighted the dire situation, noting that 343 mobile health teams have shut down this year, which is 52% of the total.

The closure of these health teams has significantly affected the health and nutrition response, leaving populations unable to access essential lifesaving services.

The statement emphasized that the ongoing crisis cannot be managed with humanitarian aid alone and requires a comprehensive, sustained, and contextualized response from the international community.

Diplomatic engagement is crucial for creating an environment in Afghanistan that supports scaling up international aid efforts to include both development projects and emergency assistance.

This comes amid suppressive policies by the Taliban, which exacerbate the current crisis in the country and the group’s unwillingness to adhere to international law.

The current isolationist stance of many donor countries is not conducive to finding durable solutions to the challenges faced by Afghanistan, particularly for children, women, and marginalized groups.

Despite improvements in security, Afghanistan continues to face severe issues, including an economic crisis, the legacy of conflict, climate change impacts, and gender crises.

Humanitarian actors in Afghanistan argue that inaction from the international community is causing significant suffering for the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls.

To prevent deeper poverty and isolation, donors must support the return of development and long-term funding to build resilient communities. They also urged donor governments to reassure financial service providers to facilitate transactions in Afghanistan and ease current funding transfer impediments.

Afghanistan at risk of becoming a ‘Forgotten Crisis,’ warn aid agencies
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23.7 million Afghans dependent on humanitarian aid, OCHA reports

Khaama Press

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported this week that 23.7 million people in Afghanistan are reliant on humanitarian aid.

OCHA stated in a post on X on Tuesday that 48 percent of Afghanistan’s population lives below the poverty line, and 12.4 percent are experiencing food insecurity.

The UN office highlighted that economic poverty has significantly worsened in recent years.

According to OCHA, of the more than $30 billion budget requested by the organization for 2024, only 25 percent has been funded.

The agency has urged countries and aid organizations to maintain their support through humanitarian aid distribution programs in Afghanistan.

Amid these concerns, several other aid organizations have also warned that Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises.

Since the Taliban took power, Afghanistan has been marked by severe restrictions on human rights, particularly for women and girls. Over the past three years, there has been a notable suppression of girls’ education and severe violations of human rights, further aggravating the humanitarian situation.

The international community remains concerned about the Taliban’s policies and their impact on humanitarian efforts.

The restrictive measures and human rights abuses under the current regime have exacerbated the country’s dependence on aid and hindered progress toward long-term recovery and stability.

23.7 million Afghans dependent on humanitarian aid, OCHA reports
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UN: Women and Girls in Afghanistan need urgent support

Khaama Press

The United Nations has reported that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains dire, largely out of the media spotlight.

The organization stated that the Taliban’s restrictions have made Afghan women and girls increasingly vulnerable and in need of more support.

The UN’s Asia-Pacific division called for global attention to Afghan girls in a social media post on Thursday, August 15th.

Over the three years of Taliban rule, the group has issued numerous decrees targeting women. Taliban policies have barred girls from attending schools beyond the sixth grade and have excluded them from universities.

Meanwhile, women have also been denied basic rights such as sports, visiting parks, engaging in social and political activities, and traveling.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is compounded by the fact that 23.7 million people are living in poverty, with a significant portion being children and women. This immense need highlights the critical situation facing the most vulnerable populations, who are disproportionately affected by the ongoing crisis.

The severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban have exacerbated the hardships faced by these groups, making it increasingly difficult for them to access essential services and support. The international community’s response remains crucial to addressing the needs of these individuals and alleviating the broader humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

UN: Women and Girls in Afghanistan need urgent support
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Amnesty International: Women activists in Afghanistan express deed frustration with current conditions

Fidai Rahmati
Khaama Press
15 August 2024

Amnesty International, marking three years of the Taliban’s rule, has stated that the international community has left Afghanistan with little hope during this period.

On Thursday, August 15, the organization released a report based on interviews with 150 Afghan citizens, including women’s rights advocates, academics, youth, civil society members, and journalists.

The report highlights that many women have lost their jobs over the past three years under the Taliban’s rule and are now in a state of despair, with the international community failing to address their plight.

The report was compiled following interviews in 21 provinces of Afghanistan and 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, and Pakistan.

The report also highlighted that the “Taliban continue to commit human rights violations against the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, with absolute impunity.” As Samira Hamidi notes, “The world is still wringing its hands as the Taliban continue violating human rights.”

Amnesty International emphasized that the international community has left Afghanistan with minimal hope. Previously, the organization had urged the Taliban administration in Afghanistan to uphold and protect human rights.

The situation for women in Afghanistan remains particularly dire, with widespread restrictions impacting their access to education, employment, and basic freedoms.

The ongoing international inaction and the Taliban’s repressive policies have left many women and girls in a state of profound vulnerability.

Addressing these issues requires a concerted global effort to both support Afghan women and pressure the Taliban to respect fundamental human rights. Without significant intervention, the suffering of Afghan women and the overall humanitarian crisis in the country are likely to persist and deepen.

Amnesty International: Women activists in Afghanistan express deed frustration with current conditions
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Islamic Emirate Leader Urges Justice, Unity to Strengthen Islamic System

According to the leader of the Islamic Emirate, the Sharia system is in place in the country, and the rights of all Muslims are preserved.

In his speech in Kandahar, the leader of the Islamic Emirate urged all officials in the interim government to avoid discrimination and ethnic prejudice for the sake of preserving the Islamic system in the country, and to consider justice in their decisions.

Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada, speaking at a ceremony marking the third anniversary of the return to power of the Islamic Emirate in the country, said that with each passing day, the Islamic system in the country is becoming more robust, and the forces of the Islamic Emirate must not be negligent.

According to the leader of the Islamic Emirate, the Sharia system is in place in the country, and the rights of all Muslims are preserved.

Sheikh Hibatullah Akhundzada said, “In the past, people started competition and conflict over positions and power, created factions, ethnic prejudice, discrimination, and regionalism began, and everyone created their own government. Keep yourselves away from such things.”

The leader of the Islamic Emirate also asked the officials of the Islamic Emirate to treat all citizens of the country equally.

The leader of the Islamic Emirate said: “Bring justice. First, implement the command of Allah upon yourself, then upon your children, relatives, and the rest of the people, without making any distinctions.”

“Implementing justice in Afghan society strengthens the foundations of the government and extends its lifespan,” Fazl Rahman Orya, a political analyst, told TOLOnews.

In another part of his speech, the leader of the Islamic Emirate stressed the freedom of Palestine and called for an end to the conflicts in Palestine.

Islamic Emirate Leader Urges Justice, Unity to Strengthen Islamic System
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3 Years On, Islamic Emirate’s Internal, Foreign Policy Reviewed

The foreign and domestic policies of the Islamic Emirate during its third year of governance in Afghanistan have witnessed numerous ups and downs. 

Expanding relations with some countries, activating 39 Islamic Emirate representations in various countries, and sending ambassadors and representatives to several nations are considered important aspects of the Islamic Emirate’s foreign policy.

In its third year of governance, the interim government of Afghanistan has not been recognized by the international community. However, during this period, the Islamic Emirate expanded its interactions with regional and extra regional countries.

Meanwhile, the international community has made the recognition of the Islamic Emirate’s government conditional on the observance of human rights, especially women’s rights, the formation of an inclusive government, the initiation of national dialogue, and the fight against terrorism and drugs.

John Kirby, US National Security Council spokesman, said on October 4, 2023, regarding the recognition of the Islamic Emirate: “We have not recognized them as governing power in Afghanistan, they want the legitimacy, but they need to meet their commitments. How can you effectively govern and how can you have an effective economy when basically half you workforce–all women–are prohibited from being part of that process, so we are going to keep holding them accountable for their commitments.”

The Islamic Emirate has referred to some of these international conditions as Afghanistan’s internal matters and has called on the international community not to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Furthermore, the Islamic Emirate has consistently urged the world to recognize the interim government, release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, and lift sanctions on over 24 Islamic Emirate officials.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, responded to some of the world’s demands on July 5, 2023: “The issue of an inclusive government is a matter for Afghans. Afghanistan makes decisions based on national interests in all areas. Regional countries and distant nations should discuss how to organize their relations with Afghanistan and how we can create a cooperative environment in the region.”

So far, the Islamic Emirate has increased its political representations to 39 and has sent an official ambassador to China. The Afghan embassies in the Netherlands and Spain interacted with the Islamic Emirate in October 2023. The Afghan embassy in New Delhi announced the permanent suspension of its activities in November 2023, but the Afghan Consul General in Hyderabad, India, reported in December 2023 that consular services at the Afghan embassy in New Delhi would resume.

In February 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the potential reopening of the Azerbaijan embassy in Afghanistan. Nicaragua appointed Michael Campbell as its non-resident ambassador to Afghanistan.

On July 26, 2024, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan accepted Mohammad Sabir as the chargé d’affaires of the Islamic Emirate.

On July 30, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate declared that consular services provided by the embassies of the previous government in European countries were unacceptable due to the lack of interaction with the Islamic Emirate.

Regarding sanctions, Russia hinted at the possibility of removing the “Taliban” from its blacklist, and in an unprecedented move, Kazakhstan removed the Islamic Emirate from its list of terrorist groups. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on June 6, 2023: “There are challenges in Afghanistan that everyone is aware of, but we must establish relations with the current government. The Taliban are the ones governing the country; they hold power in Afghanistan today, and we must follow the realities and establish our relations accordingly.”

In the past year, some Islamic Emirate officials have traveled to various countries to improve relations. The acting Minister of Defense traveled to Qatar in February 2024. The acting Foreign Minister visited Iran the same year. The acting Minister of Interior traveled to the United Arab Emirates on June 6, 2023, and met with the Emir of that country.

The United Nations Security Council temporarily lifted the travel ban on four Islamic Emirate officials on June 6, 2023, to perform Hajj. In a recent development, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the Prime Minister, asked diplomats in Qatar to reopen their political missions in Kabul. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews on August 5, 2024: “He [Mawlawi Abdul Kabir] asked them to transfer their embassies and representations to Kabul and conduct their work from here.”

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on October 4, 2023, regarding relations and his travels: “Diplomatic relations with many countries are very good and are growing day by day. Allah Almighty brought security to Afghanistan after 45 years, and Afghanistan and its neighbors have achieved security.” Meanwhile, regional countries, including China, Russia, Uzbekistan, and some others, have consistently emphasized engaging with the interim government of Afghanistan.

Yue Xiaoyong, the special representative of China for Afghanistan, said on October 7, 2023, regarding Afghanistan: “The regional and international community should ask the United States to fulfill its commitments and responsibilities towards Afghanistan. As we know, the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan by the United States and NATO has caused significant problems for the Afghan people and destroyed this country. The United States and its allies have cut off aid to Afghanistan, frozen the country’s assets, and imposed unilateral sanctions, exacerbating the problems faced by the Afghan people.”

Asif Ali Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs, said on October 7, 2023, about his country’s stance on Afghanistan: “Pakistan believes that by engaging with the current Afghan officials, we can help bring peace to this country and also ensure the prosperity and tranquility of the Afghan people.”

However, the fate of the constitution in the third year of the Islamic Emirate’s rule in Afghanistan remains unclear. The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson told TOLOnews in February 2024 that efforts are ongoing to draft a constitution but added that the absence of a constitution does not mean Afghanistan is in a legal vacuum.

Mujahid said on February 23, 2024: “We are not in a legal vacuum. Islamic Sharia is a comprehensive law that defines the duties of every individual in the government and the system.”

The Ministry of Justice also stated in a program in Kabul that they have not yet received a decree from the leader of the Islamic Emirate regarding the drafting of a constitution.

In addition to the constitution, the fate of other issues such as the formation of an official cabinet and the tricolor national flag remained unclear in the third year of the Islamic Emirate’s rule in Afghanistan.

3 Years On, Islamic Emirate’s Internal, Foreign Policy Reviewed
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Muttaqi: US Nationals May Return, But ‘Without Uniforms’

The acting Foreign Minister said, “When we were negotiating with the Americans in Doha, we said there, and we still say now, that we cannot accept an American individual in military uniform in Afghanistan, but if you come in diplomatic attire, there is no problem.”

Amir Khan Muttaqi further clarified that US cash aid does not reach the interim government. According to him, not a single US dollar has been provided to the interim government by the United States in the past three years, and US assistance is being used for international organizations and the evacuation of Afghans abroad.

The acting Foreign Minister also stressed that the interim government does not take transit fees or taxes from aid organizations.

Muttaqi said, “The aid provided by countries, particularly the United States, is given through the system that has been active within the framework of the United Nations for years, whether it be an institution or an organization. Not a single dollar has been given to the government of Afghanistan in the past three years.”

The acting Foreign Minister attributed the suspension of consular activities and embassies in some countries to the presence of corruption, adding that Afghan citizens can visit the nearest political representative office to resolve their issues.

Regarding reports of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s killing in Kabul by the US, he said: “We tried to ensure that these representatives cooperate, maintain contact with the center, and end the corruption and embezzlement there, but unfortunately, it didn’t work. Eventually, we had to declare them incompetent.”

The acting Foreign Minister further said that elections in Afghanistan have not yielded much results, and no decision has been made about them by the interim government.

Muttaqi: US Nationals May Return, But ‘Without Uniforms’
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