The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group’s attempt to rebrand itself and modernise despite reports of civilian executions and the erosion of women’s rights under the new Afghan regime.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a member of the Taliban’s Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage.
He told Newsweek: ‘We hope not only to be recognised by regional countries but the entire world at large as the legitimate representative government of the people of Afghanistan who have gained their right of self-determination from a foreign occupation with the backing and support of an entire nation after a prolonged struggle and immense sacrifices despite all odds being stacked against our people.
‘We believe the world has a unique opportunity of rapprochement and coming together to tackle the challenges not only facing us but the entire humanity.
‘These challenges ranging from world security and climate change need the collective efforts of all, and cannot be achieved if we exclude or ignore an entire people who have been devastated by imposed wars for the past four decades.’
The Taliban has vowed to tackle climate change and global security as part of the terror group’s attempt to rebrand itself and modernise
The comments come amid the Taliban’s efforts to project a more moderate image, two decades after they were ousted from power in Afghanistan.
During their rule from 1996 to 2001, they committed massacres, eroded women’s rights, burned vast areas of fertile land as part of its scorched earth policy, harboured terrorists and sold women into sex slavery as part of its harsh enforcement of Sharia law.
Despite their alleged climate change goals, the Taliban previously carried out heavy deforestation from an illegal timber trade.
Millions of acres of forests were cleared throughout the country to supply wood to the Pakistani markets with no reforestation efforts.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi (pictured), a member of the Taliban’s Cultural Commission, says the Islamists want to play a role on the global stage
After seizing power again, the Taliban has now vowed to build a more ‘inclusive’ society and claimed women’s rights will be respected and girls will still be able to go to school.
But the UN has already warned severe rights abuses are being carried out including ‘summary executions’ of civilians, the recruitment of child soldiers and restrictions on the rights of women and girls.
Meanwhile the country’s former interior minister Masoud Andarabi has claimed innocent children are being killed.
Many Afghans are clearly skeptical of the Taliban’s new promises and have been racing to the leave the country, leading to the chaos at Kabul’s international airport.
Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are skeptical
The new regime has not yet outlined its foreign policy aims other than aggressively seeking investment to ensure their ‘stability’.
Spokesmen Suhail Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid have claimed women will have a say in their new government in their attempts to woo foreign investors.
But there were chilling reports last week that Islamist militants were stalking cities across Afghanistan for women and girls.
Jihadist commanders were reportedly ordering imams in areas they have captured to bring them lists of unmarried women aged from 12 to 45 for their soldiers to marry because they view them as ‘qhanimat’ or ‘spoils of war’ – to be divided up among the victors.
The Taliban has also been accused of preventing foreign citizens from entering Kabul airport.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US forces have ‘been very clear’ with the Taliban ‘about what credentials we are willing to accept’ for people trying to get to the airport.
‘By and large, with caveats’ people have been getting through checkpoints, spokesman John Kirby said, adding ‘we also have other means to get people in.’
‘When we have reports that someone credentialed is not being let in, we are making that clear to Taliban leaders they need to let them in,’ Kirby said.
It was also revealed that a military operation recovered ‘less than 20 people’ from Kabul under cover of darkness and brought them safely to the airport for evacuation.
Members of the GOP said on Tuesday night that Biden has ‘blood on his hands’ because thousands of American citizens and Afghan allies who helped U.S. troops could be left to die when the final evacuation flights depart – which could even be before midnight on Aug. 31 to ensure a safe evacuation of everyone at the airport.
Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, who underwent a secret trip to Kabul to witness the situation at the airport for themselves, challenged President Biden and claimed that ‘we won’t get everyone out on time’.
