Taliban says to form inclusive gov't as int'l community urges peace

-- The Taliban said Tuesday it intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and does not want to have any internal or external enemies.

-- The fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan has aroused deep concerns among the international community, which is calling for restraint and peace in the war-battered country.

-- The manner and implementation of the U.S. withdrawal has left its allies feeling betrayed, said Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook, director of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

-- Experts believe the Biden administration is repeating the mistakes made by previous U.S. governments.

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban said Tuesday it intends to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan and does not want to have any internal or external enemies.

The group's pledge came after its takeover of most parts of Afghanistan, including the capital city of Kabul, on Sunday, which has stunned the world. While the international community is calling for peace and restraint in the war-torn country, criticism against the White House are mounting.

INCLUSIVE GOV'T

At the first press conference since Sunday's takeover, the Taliban's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they want to have good relations with everybody to develop the country's economy and achieve prosperity.

"We don't want to repeat any conflict, any war again," he said. "Animosities have come to an end, and we would like to live peacefully. We don't want any internal and external enemies."

The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Talking about the current discussion of forming a new government, Mujahid said all Afghans would have representation in the future set-up of Afghanistan. "Talks and consultations are continuing very seriously with politicians on the formation of the new government, over its name and its flag."

The spokesman said the Taliban supreme leader had declared a general amnesty, promising to ensure the safety of the contractors and translators who had worked for the United States and allied forces, the government soldiers who had been fighting the Taliban for years, and those whose families were attempting to leave Afghanistan.

"We have pardoned everybody for the benefit of stability or peace in Afghanistan," Mujahid said, who also called on Afghans to stay as they are the nation's assets.

Taliban fighters stand on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Regarding Afghan women's rights, he said women could work and study in different fields within the framework of sharia or Islamic law, and they would be offered all rights within the Islamic principles, because women are vital parts of society.

CALL FOR PEACE

Since the U.S. troops started to pull out of Afghanistan on May 1, the Taliban has been advancing quickly on the battlefield. During the past two weeks, the group has captured most of Afghanistan's territories.

Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

The fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan has aroused deep concerns among the international community, which is calling for restraint and peace in the war-battered country.

China hopes the Taliban can work with all parties in setting up an open and inclusive political framework, and pursue a peaceful and friendly foreign policy, particularly developing friendly relations with neighboring countries, to achieve reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for inclusive dialogue with the participation of all domestic forces in normalizing the situation in Afghanistan.

"We are seeing encouraging signals from the Taliban, who have expressed their willingness to form a government with the inclusion of other political forces," Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, Josep Borrell, the European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief, said the EU will have to talk with the Taliban and that any cooperation by the EU with the new government of Afghanistan "will be conditioned on a peaceful and inclusive settlement and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans."

Also on Tuesday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the country is closely following the development of the situation in Afghanistan and hopes a comprehensive peace will be achieved in the framework of the inter-Afghan talks in Doha.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows a road in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

Earlier, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban and all other parties to exercise utmost restraint to protect lives and ensure that humanitarian needs can be addressed.

The UN remains determined to contribute to a peaceful settlement, promote the human rights of all Afghans, notably women and girls, and provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and critical support to civilians in need, he said on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that Iran stands ready to "continue its peacemaking efforts."

Also on Sunday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the need to ensure the safety of civilians in Afghanistan, calling for a peaceful transfer of power to pave the way for a political settlement which involves all Afghan parties and achieves security and stability in the country, according to a statement on its official website.

CRITICISM AGAINST WHITE HOUSE

"I stand squarely behind my decision (to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan)," said U.S. President Joe Biden in a televised speech from the White House on Monday. "The truth is this did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated."

However, with the news of Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani leaving the country and the images of the United States scrambling to evacuate staff and officials from its embassy in Kabul broadcast worldwide, U.S. experts said Washington should regret its premature and irresponsible troop withdrawal.

"Today is the culmination of President Biden's strategic error in directing the rapid and complete withdrawal of U.S. -- and thus all international -- forces and the failure to have done the planning necessary to prevent the resulting catastrophic collapse of the Afghan government," James B. Cunningham, non-resident senior fellow at the South Asia Center and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said in a statement.

Cunningham said Biden had made the wrong choice on troop withdrawal. "Biden could have declared that U.S. withdrawal was conditioned on a genuine peace agreement and ceasefire, and focused on that objective with an extensive diplomatic effort."

Photo taken on July 8, 2021 shows the Bagram Airfield base after all U.S. and NATO forces evacuated in Parwan province, eastern Afghanistan. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah)

The Republicans are taking the opportunity to attack Biden's policy. A recent article published by The Washington Post analyzed "How Republicans are slamming Biden on Afghanistan," saying the Republicans' major accusations against Biden on the Afghan issue include "Biden is responsible for this," "Biden didn't see or didn't prepare for what was coming," "the U.S. is less safe because of how poorly the withdrawal is going" and "Biden seems aloof from it all."

Criticism against the White House has also come from the U.S. allies, who are blaming the Biden administration for insufficient consultations with its partners before the withdrawal of troops.

British Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace said the U.S. decision to pull its troops out of Afghanistan was a "mistake," adding that the U.S. withdrawal "causes a lot of problems and as an international community, it's very difficult for what we're seeing today."

The manner and implementation of the U.S. withdrawal has left its allies feeling betrayed, said Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook, director of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, experts believe the Biden administration is repeating the mistakes made by previous U.S. governments.

Taliban fighters are seen in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

"I strongly recommend to President Biden that he take responsibility ... admit the mistakes that were made," said former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in an interview with CNN.

According to Adam Weinstein, research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an Afghanistan combat veteran, the real failure lies with the mistaken belief that "the United States could shape conditions and foster effective governance through the force of arms."

"The chaos that follows intervention and the chaos that follows withdrawal are rooted in the same fundamental mistake -- that the U.S. thinks it can use its military to affect permanent social and political change in countries that it occupies," Weinstein said in a statement.