Editorial Desk :
The Taliban celebrated victory at mid-night Monday firing gunshots into the air after a 20-year war as the last US troops left Kabul conceding defeat. They now face the toughest challenge of putting together a functional government. Reuter quoted an Al-Jazeera report that said the Taliban are working for conciliation among conflicting groups and political parties for stability.
Taliban are now looking for a transitional government. Details are still sketchy. It is also not clear how long it may function. Taliban have meanwhile temporarily appointed people to key governmental posts like finance minister, intelligence minister and central bank governor while continuing talks over the formation of the new government. We would say the Taliban move shows the relevance of a neutral government to bring together
divergent political groups for the good of the country.
It is a stunning victory to oust America from Afghanistan but the tougher challenge for Taliban is to earn trust and confidence of their own people. Economically the country is in a dire situation. The new government and its policy must win the confidence of other countries to come forward to offer much urgently required help. The situation is not at all easy for the Taliban if it remains in the past. It is expected over the 20 years of war with the US and its allies taught them the changes to be adopted within Afghanistan.
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada returned to Kandahar last week ending his secret stay in Pakistan for over the past 5 years since he was put to the position after the assassination of his predecessor in a US drone attack in 2016. He never emerged publicly for safety reasons and reportedly had not even a full portrait to be identified. He is guiding negotiations with Afghan factions such as Tazik, Uzbek, Hazara and the mainstream Taliban.
Reports say the new government will have new faces unlike dye-hard religious leaders to reflect change in their outlook. It appears that Taliban leaders are ready to shun extremism in many respects this time to avoid the abrupt end the Mollah Omar government faced 20 years ago. They will not allow co-education but women would be allowed to attend schools and colleges. The attempt for an all-party government is intended to avoid challenges from within as internal stability is important to win external support. No country has so far formally recognised the Taliban, many are however waiting to see how they unfurl their policies.
The US is now saying that terrorism in other countries can be fought without sending troops.
