Taliban planning to establish 'new governing framework' in Kabul

A Taliban official who spoke with a reporter from Reuters said the government structure will not be a democracy by Western definitions but "will protect everyone's rights"

The Taliban organization is planning to establish a "new governing framework" in Afghanistan within several weeks, and the organization will investigate any case of violence or retaliation by its members against Afghans, a senior Taliban official told a reporter from Reuters in the Afghan capital Kabul. A week has passed since the Taliban took over the country, and at the end of the week Afghan sources reported retaliation against protests against the Taliban as well as arrests of former Afghan government officials, those who criticized the Taliban, or those who cooperated with the Americans.   

AP reported that large numbers of Afghans and foreigners arrived at Kabul international airport on Saturday following the announcement by U.S. President Biden that the U.S. will evacuate all of the Americans and the Afghans who helped the Americans. Biden promised to complete the evacuation by the 31st of this month, and there is no sign that there will be an extension.  

Meanwhile, criticism of President Biden was growing in the U.S., with an increasing number of Afghans, fearing retaliation by the Taliban, requesting immediate evacuation. Over the weekend, the leader of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kabul to hold talks with the leadership of the organization, and possibly with representatives of the previous government.     

A Taliban official who spoke with a reporter from Reuters said "We have heard of some cases of atrocities and crimes against civilians. If (members of the Taliban) are doing these law and order problems, they will be investigated." He added that "We can understand the panic, stress and anxiety. People think we will not be accountable, but that will not be the case." According to the official, the new government that will be formed in a few weeks will not be a democracy by Western definitions but "will protect everyone's rights".

Also, it was reported that 12 people had died at Kabul airport during the first few days of the chaos. A representative of NATO said that between 12,000 and 18,000 foreigners, including embassy workers and foreign aid organization workers, have been evacuated so far from Afghanistan. According to the representative, "the evacuation process is slow, as it is risky, for we don’t want any form of clashes with Taliban members".

The U.S. government announced that 12 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia had agreed to temporarily host evacuees from Afghanistan who arrived this week on dozens of flights arranged by airlines or countries in order to speed up the evacuation. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar announced that they are ready to host thousands of evacuees, but the Americans are worried that Qatar is holding evacuees in a giant hangar at an air force base with no air conditioning and little food.   

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