Sources told Afghanistan’s TOLO News that Taliban members on Wednesday met with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, in Kabul.
Karzai has been leading an effort for officials of the former US-backed government to discuss the transfer of power with the Taliban. Details of Wednesday’s meeting were not shared, but a Taliban official told TOLO that the results of recent discussions with Afghan leaders and international representatives on forming an “inclusive government” will be made public soon.
It was reported earlier this week that Karzai and other officials traveled to Doha. But the TOLO report said Wednesday’s talks were held in the home of Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul. Before heading the High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah served as Afghanistan’s CEO, a position that was created after a contested presidential election against Ashraf Ghani in 2014.
The Taliban has signaled that it is open to forming a government that includes former Afghan officials. While there has been some violence, the Taliban has issued an amnesty for former government workers, and there appears to be a general calm across the country compared to recent months. Mawlawi Khairullah Khairkhwah, a member of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, told TOLO that the Taliban does “not see anybody as our enemies anymore now.”
Ghani fled Afghanistan on Sunday and his vice president, Amrullah Saleh, has since declared himself the “legitimate caretaker” of Afghanistan. Saleh’s whereabouts is unknown, but the Afghan ambassador in Tajikistan said Panjshir province could be Saleh’s stronghold. Panjshir lies north of Kabul and has yet to be taken by the Taliban. At this point, it’s not clear if Saleh would receive any support.
Here is an article that looks at the very significant impact that the devolution of Afghanistan has had on its civilian population:
https://viableopposition.blogspot.com/2021/08/civilian-casualties-in-afghanistan.html
It certainly seems like the world simply cannot learn the lesson that history has taught; Afghanistan is unconquerable no matter how much military force is used, an expensive lesson learned by the Soviet Union in late 1979 and throughout the 1980s.
It would be funny if the Taliban decided to make Karzai the president again. That would send a powerful signal to the international community that Afghanistan is open to business and that the West was fighting a war for nothing.
They don’t even need to make him president, just make him a member of some cabinet or shurah for environmental matters or whatever and watch neocon heads explode.
Foreign minister would be perfect
Oh please! That would be some epic genius gangsta level trolling, right there, Lord, please let the Taliban have a sense of humor, please just once.
https://journal-neo.org/2021/08/19/the-afghanistan-debacle-zalmay-khalilzad-and-the-great-reset/
Khalilzad, Ghani, and Karzai are unreliable partners in an Afghanistan restructuring.
Karzai was marginalized unceremoniously after he delivered — assembled all clans in an effort to come up with a functional Afghanistan. But US had different plan — a plan to centralize Afghanistan. Two earliest proxy arrangement failed. Al-Qaeda motivated clans sufficiently, and with US armaments hastened Soviet exit. But Al-Qaeda had a soft spot for clans and their leaders that actually ran the governance in provinces. And being Arabs, clans were hospitable, but not interested to go on Kabul to oust pro-Soviet president. And for three years,
US had to watch helplessly the continuation of Soviet control over Kabul, and clans having no problems with that.
So, what next? A new schema was born. Pashtun speakers were wanted. Plenty of Afghans living in Pakistan, plenty of Pashtun speakers, and plenty of poor young people. Special purpose “madrassas” were founded using Pakistani recruiters, military trainers, Saudi expertise in running religious schools — in this case, a fanatical cult version of Islam concocted for the purpose of creating fierce believers. US provided weapons and strategy, and this is how was born an army of Taliban -Students. They succeeded to convince clans to join in toppling Kabul government and introduce fanatical Taliban rule upon a city that was due to Soviet influence becoming mire secular, and had strong education system. It even had a woman general.
But Taliban — along with their Pakistani partners, soon developed a relationship with clans, ended drug production, and under the influence of the clans disobeyed US demands, In fact, in August 2001 Taliban were guests in the White House, as US tried to convince then of the gas pipeline. Taliban went home and awarded job to Argentina! Then 9/11 happened, and US made a decision that the crisis is an opportunity — and getting into Afghanistan was a key strategic move. From there on sights were trained on Central Asia, Iran, Russia and China. And crucially — it was time to centralize the government and undermine the power of clans.
Karzai was not necessarily made aware of the plan when he reached out to get their blessing to form the government. Karzai was not happy with what he saw as emerging. Not because of being personally used, but because he knew it was not going to work, in the new elections, Abdullah Abdullah win, but US wanted Ghani, so a consolation prize was given. Ghani knew. from day one not to bother telling Belthezar what to do — just follow orders, as handwriting was on the wall.
Battles with “Taliban” started, but these were no longer our precocious “students@, but clan leaders, chess masters.
In the last few years, Karzai has been very busy. On behalf of clans, he plied the Eurasian trails. He was more in Moscow then anywhere else. Taliban – thar is leaders of clans and the leadership they empowered to represent them.
The key now is an inclusive government, With US being thoroughly distracted, this gives Taliban time to roll out their initiatives, It is likely that they already made deals with various parties,
Translation of their press conference wad very poor in Western press — as great amount of details are given on issues of women’s rights,
It was stated that women should have rights to every level of education, and right to employment. In couching this in Sharia terms, the announcement went further into details, They announced same rights that women have in Iran or Qatar. There will be no burka requirement, but a scarf as worn in other Moslem countries. That level of detail is helpful, and actually sets a high bar – it remains to be seen in practice. If implemented , women should have a right to professional occupations in manny fields, from education to medicine, from engineering to administrative work. Right to own a business. Right to work in police and military. In Iran, women are military pilots.
It will be interesting to see how will they roll it out.
Many find the name “Emirates” unusual, but this was their name for good chunk of their history.
After so long being in war and fighting occupations, it will be really interesting to see how will they consolidate governance.
It does boggle mind that Biden administration did not see this coming. Ghani government did exactly what they had to do. They had no alternative. They had to give Taliban an opportunity to step in and establish order to prevent plundering. And there was no way they could wait for US to leave, and forcing Taliban to have to act harsh and under pressure of its army. But once the top left, Taliban could be generous and forgive everyone,
US should anticipated that and kept one base until evacuation is complete.
It is also astounding that there was no conversation with Taliban in the rights of people to emigrate should they qualify. Taliban in need of recognition would have agreed to many things. It is almost as if we actually did not think that Taliban will govern once we leave.