“It is an unexpected victory” in terms of speed and ease and must now be followed by “humility before Allah” because this “is the moment of trial, it is about how we serve and protect our people. And how we ensure their future and the life” of the citizens of Afghanistan, now renamed “Islamic Emirate”. This was the first statement tpo be made by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, considered by many the next “interim leader”, a few hours after the taking of Kabul. In a video message he thanked the militiamen for the military campaign that led in a few days to the ouster of President Ashraf Ghani. From the palace, he promised “magnanimity” but, at the same time, recalled the eight years of captivity casting more than a shadow on the future of the nation and the region. The Taliban sing victory and proclaim the “liberation” of Afghanistan at the hands of the Mujaheddin less than a month after the twentieth anniversary of the Twin Towers, at the origin of the US military campaign. A flag of the jihadist movement flies over the presidential palace while a spokesman announces that “the situation is calm” and the objective is to form “an open and inclusive Islamic government”. In the early hours of the day the streets of the capital appear deserted and dozens of stores and cafes remain closed; a decision taken by the owners to “defend” goods and merchandise, waiting for developments in the coming days.
AFGHANISTAN Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader who proclaimed the emirate
AFGHANISTAN Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader who proclaimed the emirate
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