The Taliban have tried to reassure fearful Afghans and a wary international community that this time around they will be “positively different”, but their reputation precedes them and few trust the group.
Here are five promises the Taliban have made and their record on the issues:
– Women will have rights, but… –
The Taliban are “committed” to the rights of women, who will be able to work and study, the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Tuesday.
But he stressed at every mention of women that their rights will be determined by Islamic law.
That has always been interpreted by the Taliban’s ultra-conservative leadership.
The last time they were in power, from 1996 to 2001, they brutally suppressed women’s rights.
Girls were banned from going to school, and women were largely barred from public life — allowed out of the house only when covered head-to-toe in a burqa and accompanied by a male relative.
Women accused of violating these rules were given harsh punishments — including being stoned to death for adultery.
Even after they were toppled by US-led forces in 2001, women suffered similar restrictions in the areas under Taliban control. The militants have threatened and attacked women activists, journalists, MPs and even educators for two decades.
– Pardons for all? –
The Taliban have insisted that they have forgiven all that fought against them — including government officials, the police and the armed forces.
But many are sceptical because of their record with amnesty announcements, and tens of thousands of Afghans have tried to leave the country since the Taliban victory fearing reprisals.
During their first regime, Taliban fighters killed political opponents and also massacred civilians and religious minorities.
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