The highest Taliban chief on Saturday slammed President Donald Trump’s journey ban on Afghans, calling america an oppressor, as Afghanistan’s rulers search better engagement with the worldwide neighborhood.
The feedback from Hibatullah Akhundzada marked the primary public response from the Taliban for the reason that Trump administration this week moved to bar residents from 12 nations, together with Afghanistan, from coming into the U.S.
Trump’s govt order largely applies to Afghans hoping to resettle within the U.S. completely, in addition to these hoping to go to America quickly, together with for college research.
Since returning to energy in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures, banned ladies from public locations and training for girls and women past the sixth grade. And although they’ve to date failed to achieve recognition because the nation’s official authorities, the Taliban have diplomatic relations with a number of nations, together with China and Russia.
A message from the chief
Akhundzada launched his message on the Islamic vacation of Eid al-Adha, also called the “Feast of Sacrifice,” from the southern metropolis of Kandahar, the place he has arrange base however isn’t seen in public.
In a 45-minute audio recording shared by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on X, Akhundzada denounced the Trump administration for imposing “restrictions on people.”
“Citizens from 12 countries are barred from entering their land — and Afghans are not allowed either,” he stated. “Why? Because they claim the Afghan government has no control over its people and that people are leaving the country. So, oppressor! Is this what you call friendship with humanity?”
He blamed the U.S. for the deaths of Palestinian ladies and kids in Gaza, linking this allegation to the journey ban. “You are committing acts that are beyond tolerance,” he added.
The Trump administration says the measure is supposed to guard U.S. residents from “aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
It argues that Afghanistan lacks a reliable central authority for issuing passports or civil paperwork and lacks acceptable screening and vetting measures. It additionally says Afghans who go to the U.S. have a excessive visa overstay charge.
Trump additionally suspended a core refugee program in January, all however ending help for Afghans who had allied with the U.S. and leaving tens of 1000’s of them stranded.
The Taliban supply amnesty
Additionally on Saturday, the Taliban prime minister stated that each one Afghans who fled the nation after the collapse of the previous Western-backed authorities are free to return house, promising they’d be secure.
“Afghans who have left the country should return to their homeland,” Mohammad Hassan Akhund stated. “Nobody will harm them.”
“Come back to your ancestral land and live in an atmosphere of peace,” the Taliban prime minister stated in a message on X and instructed officers to make sure returning refugees got shelter and help.
He additionally used the event to criticize the media for making what he stated have been “false judgements” about Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers and their insurance policies.
“We must not allow the torch of the Islamic system to be extinguished,” he stated. “The media should avoid false judgments and should not minimize the accomplishments of the system. While challenges exist, we must remain vigilant.”
The return of the Taliban rule
The Taliban swept into the capital of Kabul and seized most of Afghanistan in a blitz in mid-August 2021 because the U.S. and NATO forces have been within the final weeks of their pullout from the nation after 20 years of battle.
The offensive prompted a mass exodus, with tens of 1000’s of Afghans thronging the airport in chaotic scenes, hoping for a flight out on the U.S. navy airlift. Folks additionally fled throughout the border, to neighboring Iran and Pakistan.
Amongst these escaping the brand new Taliban rulers have been additionally former authorities officers, journalists, activists, those that had helped the U.S. throughout its marketing campaign towards the Taliban.
Individually, Afghans in neighboring Pakistan who’re awaiting resettlement are additionally coping with a deportation drive by the Islamabad authorities to get them overseas. Virtually one million have left Pakistan since October 2023 to keep away from arrest and expulsion.
