Taliban entrenched in Afghanistan after two years of rule

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP) – The Taliban have settled in as the rulers of Afghanistan, two years after they seized power. US and NATO forces withdrew from the country After two decades of war.

The Taliban does not face much opposition that could topple it. They avoided internal divisions by lining up behind their ideologically unaligned leader. They have kept the ailing economy afloat, in part Holding investment talks With the capital-rich countries of the region, even with the international community’s abstention from official recognition. They have improved internal security by suppression of armed groups Like the Islamic State, they say they are fighting corruption and opium production.

But it was the series of bans they imposed on Afghan girls and women that dominated my life The Taliban’s second year in power. prevent them from parks and gymsAnd universitiesAnd Jobs in non-governmental groups and the United nations – all within a few months – for allegedly not wearing a proper hijab – the Islamic head covering – or violating gender segregation rules. I followed these orders An earlier ban, issued in the first year of Taliban rule, on girls going to school beyond sixth grade.

Here is a closer look at Taliban rule and where they are headed.

Why did they exclude women from higher education and most public jobs and places?

The Taliban says they are committed to implementation Their interpretation of Islamic law in Afghanistan. This leaves no room for anything they think is foreign or secular, such as women working or studying. This is what drove them in the late 1990s, when they first seized power in Afghanistan, and it is what drives them now, since they seized power again on August 15, 2021.

Their supreme leader, Hebatullah Akhundzadeh Changes applauded enforced since the takeover, On the pretext of improving the life of Afghan women After the departure of the foreign forces the headscarf became compulsory again.

What is the response to these bans?

foreign governments, rights groups, and world bodies condemned the restrictions. the United nations They said they were major hitch To the Taliban to gain international recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Foreign aid is drying up like Major donors are stopping their fundingThey were pulled in different directions by other crises and worried their money might fall into the hands of the Taliban.

Lack of funds, as well as the exclusion of Afghan women from Providing basic humanitarian serviceshitting the population hard, driving more people into poverty.

What are the living conditions like in Afghanistan?

Roughly 80% of the previous Western-backed Afghan government’s budget came from the international community. This money – now largely cut off – funds hospitals, schools, factories and government ministries. The COVID-19 pandemic, drug shortages, climate change and malnutrition have made the lives of Afghans even more desperate. Aid agencies have stepped into the breach to provide basic services such as health care.

Afghanistan is grappling for the third year in a row with drought-like conditions, a continuing collapse in household incomes, and restrictions on international banking services. It also continues to suffer from decades of war and natural disasters.

How is the economy doing?

World Bank He said last month The Afghan local currency has gained value against major currencies. Customers can withdraw more money from individual deposits made before August 2021 and most civil servants are paid salaries. The World Bank described revenue collection as “healthy” and said most essential items remained available, although demand was down.

The Taliban has held investment talks with countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. They want sanctions lifted and billions of dollars in frozen funds released, saying these measures will alleviate the suffering of Afghans. But the international community will only take such steps after the Taliban takes certain measures, including lifting restrictions on women and girls.

How likely is the Taliban to change direction?

It is largely up to Taliban leader Akhundzada. The cleric counts government ministers and like-minded Muslim scholars among his circle. He is behind the decrees for women and girls. Fatwas framed in the language of Islamic law, divorced. The ban will only be lifted if Akhundzada orders it. Some Taliban figures did Loud Against the way you make decisions, and there was disagreement about the bans on women and girls. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid Criticize These reports as spam.

“The secret of their success is that they are united,” said Abdul Salam Zaeef, who served as the Taliban’s envoy to Pakistan when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s. “If someone expresses his opinion or ideas, it does not mean that someone opposes the leadership or will move to another side,” said Zaeef, who spent several years in Guantanamo Bay detention center after the US invasion in 2001. Disputes are put before the prince (Akhundzadeh) and he decides. They follow his word.”

What about international recognition?

Aid officials say the Taliban see recognition as an entitlement rather than something that can be negotiated. The officials also cited high-level meetings with powerful countries like China and Russia as evidence that the Taliban is building bilateral relations in its own way. Prime Minister of Qatar Akhundzada met in the southwestern Afghan city of Kandahar in June, the first publicly known meeting between the supreme leader and a foreign official.

Although the Taliban are officially isolated on the world stage, they seem to have enough interactions and involvement in relations with countries to slowly progress towards normalization. Cooperation with the Taliban in the field of drugs, refugees and the fight against terrorism is of global importance, including in the West. Neighboring countries like China, Russia and Pakistan want Ending the penalties.

Zaeef said, “The political interactions are such that no country in the region would consider putting Afghanistan under its authority or control.” He said the Taliban’s outreach to the outside is hampered by blacklists that prevent officials from traveling, and a lack of common ground with the rest of the world.

What is the opposition to the Taliban?

No armed or political opposition has enough domestic or foreign support to topple the Taliban. A fighting force resisting Taliban rule from the Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul It is violently cleared. Public protests Rare.

The Islamic State has struck thin Targets in deadly bombings, including two government ministries, but the militants lack the fighters, money and other resources to launch a major offensive against the Taliban.