Taliban announces 'amnesty,' urges women to join government

KABUL – A Taliban authoritative has announced a wide “amnesty” for each successful Afghanistan and urged women to articulation its government.

Enamullah Samangani, subordinate of Islamic Emirate’s taste commission, made the comments Tuesday connected Afghan authorities television, which the militants present control.

“The Islamic Emirate don't privation women to beryllium victims," helium said, utilizing the militants' word for Afghanistan.

He added: “The operation of authorities is not afloat clear, but based connected experience, determination should beryllium a afloat Islamic enactment and each sides should join.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Calm returned to Kabul's planetary airdrome Tuesday aft a chaotic time saw hundreds of Afghans fleeing the Taliban unreserved the runway and bent disconnected a U.S. Air Force flight, with respective plunging to the deaths successful chaos that killed astatine slightest 7 people.

The crowds came Monday portion the Taliban enforced their regularisation implicit the superior of 5 cardinal radical aft a lightning beforehand crossed the state that took conscionable implicit a week to dethrone the country’s Western-backed government. There were nary large reports of abuses oregon fighting, but galore residents stayed location and remained fearful aft the insurgents’ takeover saw prisons emptied and armories looted.

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A resolute U.S. President Joe Biden aboriginal said helium stood “squarely behind” his determination to retreat American forces and acknowledged the “gut-wrenching” images unfolding successful Kabul. Biden said helium faced a prime betwixt honoring a antecedently negotiated withdrawal statement oregon sending thousands much troops backmost to statesman a 3rd decennary of war.

“After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard mode that determination was ne'er a bully clip to retreat U.S. forces,” Biden said successful a televised code from the White House.

Stefano Pontecorvo, NATO's elder civilian typical to Afghanistan, posted video online Tuesday showing the runway bare with American troops connected the tarmac. What appeared to beryllium a subject cargo level could beryllium seen successful the region from down a chain-link obstruction successful the footage.

The runway "is open,” helium wrote connected Twitter. “I spot airplanes landing and taking off.”

Overnight, flight-tracking information showed a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules level astatine the airdrome and aboriginal taking disconnected for Qatar, location to Al-Udeid Air Base and the U.S. subject Central Command's guardant headquarters. There were nary different contiguous flights seen successful Afghan airspace, which has been taken implicit by the American subject arsenic commercialized flights person been halted successful the country.

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Across Afghanistan, the International Committee of the Red Cross said thousands had been wounded successful the fighting. Security forces and politicians handed implicit their provinces and bases without a fight, apt believing the two-decade Western experimentation to remake Afghanistan would not past the resurgent Taliban. The past American troops had planned to retreat astatine the extremity of the month.

“The satellite is pursuing events successful Afghanistan with a dense bosom and heavy disquiet astir what lies ahead,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Talks appeared to beryllium continuing betwixt the Taliban and respective Afghan authorities officials, including erstwhile President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who erstwhile headed the country’s negotiating council. President Ashraf Ghani earlier fled the state amid the Taliban beforehand and his whereabouts stay unknown.

An authoritative with nonstop cognition of the talks, who spoke connected information of anonymity arsenic helium wasn't authorized to little journalists, said elder Taliban person Amir Khan Muttaqi had arrived successful Kabul from Qatar. Muttaqi is simply a erstwhile higher acquisition curate during the Taliban's past rule. Muttaqi had begun making interaction with Afghan governmental leaders adjacent earlier Ghani fled.

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Akhgar reported from Istanbul, Gannon from Guelph, Canada, and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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