Ministry of Interior, Afghanistan/via REUTERS
- Afghanistan will have a "peaceful transfer of power" to the Taliban, the country's interior minister said.
- Talks are underway to form an interim government led by the militant group, CNN reported.
- Ashraf Ghani, the county's president, is expected to relinquish power shortly, according to local reports.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Afghanistan will have a "peaceful transfer of power" to a "transitional government" led by the Taliban, acting Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said Sunday.
In a video message, broadcast on local news outlet Tolo TV, Mirzakwal said: "The Afghan people should not worry... There will be no attack on the city and there will be a peaceful transfer of power."
-Ayaz Gul (@AyazGul64) August 15, 2021
Around the same time on Sunday, CNN reported that the Taliban issued a statement saying it was in talks with "the other side" for a peaceful surrender of the capital and confirmed that the group would refrain from violence.
"No one's head, property, or honor will be harmed and the lives of Kabulis will not be in danger. The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul and not try to enter the city," a spokesperson told ABC News.
Read more: Read more: Why the US-trained Afghan National Army have been defeated with ease by the Taliban
The Taliban's international media spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the group will remain on standby on the outskirts of the city while transition talks take place.
Shaheen did not specify what sort of agreement the Taliban wants, but the Associated Press reported that the group is seeking an unconditional surrender by the central government.
The spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that journalists will be safe under the Taliban.
-Sune Engel Rasmussen (@SuneEngel) August 15, 2021
Ashraf Ghani, the country's current president, is expected to relinquish power within the next few hours, according to Al Arabiya.
AFP News Agency reported that the Afghan president has urged government forces to maintain law and order in Kabul.
A source close to Ghani has denied reports that he has fled the country, Al Jazeera said.
Other high-ranking Afghan officials, including some of Ghani's advisors, are at Hamid Karzai International Airport waiting for a flight out, according to a reliable source, CNN''s Kaitlan Collins said on Twitter.
Read more: WATCH: Tearful Afghan girl facing grim future under Taliban rule
Pope Francis led the calls for "dialogue" in Afghanistan to avoid bloodshed, Reuters reported. "I join in the unanimous worry about the situation in Afghanistan. I ask you to pray along with me to the God of peace so that the din of weapons ends and that solutions can be found around a table of dialogue," he said to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to recall parliament to debate the Taliban's seizure of Afghanistan, according to local media.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/37H0kgo
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment