The Taliban proclaimed a “universal amnesty” for all government employees on Tuesday, only two days after capturing Kabul and completing their takeover of the nation during a lightning attack.
“A universal amnesty has been announced for everybody… so you may resume your normal life with complete confidence,” the Taliban stated in a statement.
According to news reports from journalists in Kabul, life in the capital is gradually returning to normal. The shops have reopened, and traffic is gradually returning to normal.
The US embassy and other embassies in Kabul are guarded by Taliban militants. The Afghan crisis is also being covered by foreign and local media in Kabul and other parts of the nation.
In Kabul, a CNN female reporter wearing a headscarf conducted interviews with Taliban members.
In response to the Taliban’s capture of Kabul, US Vice President Joe Biden condemned Afghan leadership.
Biden broke his quiet on the tumultuous American withdrawal from Afghanistan on Monday, reiterating his decision while slamming the country’s past Western-backed government for failing to oppose the Taliban.
“I am a firm believer in my decision. After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard way that withdrawing US soldiers is never a smart idea “In a televised speech from the White House, he added.
“The responsibility stops with me,” Biden declared as pictures of chaos and despair poured in from Kabul, where American forces were attempting to evacuate the airport and Taliban militants swarmed the city.
He dismissed accusations that the evacuation was a disaster, saying the aim is to end a conflict that has grown well beyond its initial modest goals of punishing the Taliban for their connections to Al-Qaeda following 9/11.
“Our job in Afghanistan was never meant to be nation-building,” he said, adding that anti-terrorism operations would continue even if US forces left.
In the next days, “thousands” of US citizens and Afghans who collaborated with American soldiers would be evacuated, according to Biden. If the Taliban attacks in the meanwhile, Obama has promised a “devastating” military reaction.
