Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of whom the world has only a single photo is due to come to Kabul and hold a series of talks with other Taliban officials and Afghan politicians and leaders, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, arrived in Kandahar province from an unknown place on Sunday.
He has reportedly met with the tribal leaders of Kandahar province and the IEA is due to release a statement on his behalf, Khaama News reported.
The supreme leader of whom the world has only a single photo is due to come to the Afghan capital and hold a series of talks with other Taliban officials and Afghan politicians and leaders, the report said.
Prior to that, Mullah Abdulghani Baradar, the co-founder of Taliban and head of Taliban’s political office in Doha, had also landed in Kandahar province before coming to Kabul along with a delegation.
The Taliban’s governance is said to be conducted from Kandahar province.
Negotiations over the upcoming government in Afghanistan are expected to be expedited after the supreme leader arrives in Kabul.
Earlier, the acting minister of information and culture and spokesperson of the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, had said that their cabinet will take shape in the upcoming two weeks.
Fulfil commitments: US tells Taliban
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Washington expects that the Taliban must ‘follow through’ on its commitments.
These developments came after the Taliban previously made clear that “they would like to see an American diplomatic presence remain in Kabul,” Pakistan Today reported citing Ned Price.
“We have heard a range of statements from the Taliban. Some of them have been positive, some of them have been constructive but ultimately what we will be looking for, what our international partners will be looking for are deeds, not words,” Price added.
Price also said that the US is not coordinating with the Haqqani network in Afghanistan.
The US had designated the Haqqani Network as a terrorist group in 2012, is now a part of the government in Afghanistan post the Taliban takeover of the war-torn country, said Jason Criss Howk, writing in Clearance Jobs.
During the discussion, Price also reaffirmed that the US military is leaving by August 31, as reported by Pakistan Times.
US is “handing the [Hamid Karzai International] airport back to the Afghan people. What we are doing is trying to lay the diplomatic groundwork and the technical groundwork,” he said.
After the hostile takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has re-imposed repressive laws and retrograde policies on Afghan women that defined its 1996-2001 rule when they enforced their version of Islamic Sharia law.
Experts believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the terrorist group regime.
Sajjan Gohel, a security and terrorism analyst also said that women are scared out of the Taliban minds.
Female anchor flees country
Beheshta Arghand, a female Afghan anchor, fled the country after an interview with a senior Taliban leader, CNN reported on Monday.
Arghand, who worked for TOLOnews, interviewed Mawlawi Abdulhaq Hemad, a high-ranking Taliban representative in mid-August.
The interview had garnered headlines around the world, as it was the first time in Afghanistan’s history that a Taliban member appeared live on TV sitting next to a female presenter.
The journalist confirmed to CNN that she had left Afghanistan for fear of the Taliban. The Afghan scribe added that she would return if the security situation in the country improved.
“I left the country because, like millions of people, I fear the Taliban,” Arghand was quoted by CNN.
This comes as Afghan journalists, cameramen and photographers in an open letter called on the UN, the international community, rights groups and media-supporting organizations to protect them against threats.
“Considering the increasing challenges and threats facing media workers, as well as their families and property, we urge the United Nations and donor countries to take action to save our lives and our families,” the letter read, published on Saturday and signed by 150 reporters.
The letter comes following the fall of the Afghan government on August 15. Several reporters and media staff have since fled the country fearing reprisal from the Taliban. (ANI)
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