Taliban Stresses Sovereignty, Economic Development for Afghanistan

Sept. 1, 2021 (EIRNS)—In the hours following the departure of the last U.S. troops from Kabul, the Taliban held two press conferences, one at the Kabul airport and the second one at the studios of Afghanistan’s national broadcaster. According to various coverage of the two events, the Taliban leadership stressed a number of points, among them the following:

• “Now that our country is liberated, the economy is our next priority,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. He said that various measures will be carried out in the coming days. Promising to ensure their safety, Mujahid called on former government officials, businessmen and scholars who had fled the country to return, saying, “Let’s do it together.”

Another Taliban official, who was also at the press conference, echoed the call. “We need you. Your country and nation need you,” said Mufti Inamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s information and culture commission. “A united and stable Afghanistan is to the benefit of all and this region,” he said.

• The Taliban also pledged to work with foreign countries to ensure good relations. Mujahid said they want to have a relationship, based on international law and mutual respect, with the rest of the world, especially the United States, reported Ariana News. “The Islamic Emirate wants to have a diplomatic relation with the U.S. and to have a good relationship with all the world; strong diplomatic relations with the whole world, and to improve our relations in the future, and that they [foreign countries] do not consider us a threat,” Mujahid said.

• “We do not have any doubt that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a free and sovereign nation,” said Mujahid during a press conference at the airport. “America was defeated ... and on behalf of my nation, we want to have good relations with the rest of the world,” he said. He also promised Afghans “will protect our freedom, independence and Islamic values.”

The Taliban also reportedly held a three-day consultative meeting of its leadership council from Ag. 28-30, the group’s spokesperson posted on social media. “During the three-day meeting, the current political, security and social issues of the country were discussed in detail,” Mujahid tweeted. The meeting was held in Kandahar province with the supreme leader of the Taliban Haibatullah Akhunzada presiding over it, he reported.

In the wake of that meeting, the Taliban has indicated that a new government will be announced within days. Akhundzada will be its leader, said Bilal Karimi, a member of the group’s cultural commission, while Abdul Ghani Baradar is likely to be in charge of the daily functioning of the government, Karimi stated, reported Bloomberg. Other media have reported Baradar will be named as Foreign Minister.