The Taliban aim tounveil a new governing framework for Afghanistan in the next few weeks, aspokesman for the Islamist movement said on Saturday, after the insurgents'swift takeover of the South Asian nation.
"Legal,religious and foreign policy experts in the Taliban aim to present the newgoverning framework in the next few weeks," the official told in aninterview.
The Taliban havesought to present a more moderate face since last week's lightning takeover,but ruled with an iron fist from 1996 to 2001 before being toppled by U.S.-ledforces for sheltering al Qaeda militants behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
The ongoingevacuation of US citizens and Afghan nationals who supported Americans over thelast two decades is one of the largest and most difficult airlifts in history,US President Joe Biden said Friday. He had earlier pledged to bring back allAmericans from the country, which descended into a state of chaos after theTaliban’s return to power.
The US governmentwill retain a laser focus on its counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan,President Biden said, warning of a forceful response to any attack on Americanforces or disruption of its operations at the Kabul airport. “We’re alsokeeping a close watch on any potential terrorist threat at or around theairport, including from the ISIS affiliates in Afghanistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, RussianPresident Vladimir Putin criticised the West for its stance on Afghanistan,saying that the Taliban’s rapid ascent to power has shown the futility ofWestern attempts to enforce its own vision of democracy. “It’s necessary tostop the irresponsible police of enforcing its own values on others andattempts to build democracy in other countries based on outside models withouttaking into account historic, ethnic and religious issues and fully ignoringother people’s traditions,” he said.
German ChancellorAngela Merkel, who was on an official visit to Moscow, urged Russia to use itscontacts with the Taliban to press for Afghan citizens who helped Germany to beallowed to leave Afghanistan.