
Taliban promises amnesty, women's rights.
The Taliban have held their first official news conference in Kabul since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.
"We don't want any internal or external enemies," the movement's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said.
The insurgents seek no revenge and "everyone is forgiven", he said.
When asked about the status of women's rights, Mujahid said women would be allowed to work and study and "will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam".
Zabibullah Mujahid, the taliban’s behind-the-scenes voice for nearly 20 years, appearing for first time in front of a house packed of Afghanistan’s vibrant media (one of biggest achievements of past 20 years) pic.twitter.com/0mZrN5CkRF
— Mujib Mashal (@MujMash) August 17, 2021
The Taliban would not seek retribution against former soldiers and members of the Western-backed government, he said, saying the movement was granting an amnesty for former Afghan government soldiers as well as contractors and translators who worked for international forces.
"We want the world to trust us," Mujahid said.
"Nobody is going to harm you, nobody is going to knock on your doors."
“We haven’t taken revenge steps against anybody, but during the war there was no choice”
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 17, 2021
Taliban Spokesman addresses press conference, saying “we have given amnesty to everybody, we want them to give us forgiveness”https://t.co/2f6JMTXHky pic.twitter.com/oJ5kYuD0VU