{"id":62318,"date":"2021-08-17T10:28:23","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T10:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/17\/taliban-announces-amnesty-urges-women-to-join-government\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:00:14","slug":"taliban-announces-amnesty-urges-women-to-join-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/08\/17\/taliban-announces-amnesty-urges-women-to-join-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Taliban announces \u2018amnesty,\u2019 urges women to join government"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Crowds swarmed the runway at the Kabul airport as people desperately tried to get flights out of the country in the hours after the Taliban took over.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) \u2014 The Taliban declared an \u201camnesty\u201d across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos<\/a> gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a blitz across Afghanistan<\/a> that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more moderate than when they imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s. But many Afghans remain skeptical<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Older generations remember the Taliban\u2019s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as stonings, amputations and public executions before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there were no major reports of abuses or fighting in the capital of Kabul as the Taliban now patrol its streets, many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents\u2019 takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted. Many women have expressed dread that the two-decade Western experiment to expand their rights and remake Afghanistan would not survive the resurgent Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The promises of amnesty from Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban\u2019s cultural commission, were the first comments on how the Taliban might govern on a national level. His remarks remained vague, however, as the Taliban are still negotiating with political leaders of the country\u2019s fallen government and no formal handover deal has been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Islamic Emirate doesn\u2019t want women to be victims,\u201d Samangani said, using the militants\u2019 name for Afghanistan. \u201cThey should be in the government structure according to Shariah law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That would be a marked departure from the last time the Taliban were in power, when women were largely confined to their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samangani didn\u2019t describe exactly what he meant by Shariah, or Islamic, law, implying people already knew the rules the Taliban expected them to follow. He added that \u201call sides should join\u201d a government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was also not clear what he meant by an amnesty, although other Taliban leaders have said they won\u2019t seek revenge on those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign countries. But some in Kabul allege Taliban fighters have lists of people who cooperated with the government and are seeking them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\t