Taliban destroy statue of Shiite foe from 1990s civil war

KABUL – The Taliban person blown up the statue of a Shiite militia person who had fought against them during Afghanistan's civilian warfare successful the 1990s, according to photos circulating connected societal media Wednesday.

The statue depicted Abdul Ali Mazari, a militia person killed by the Taliban successful 1996, erstwhile the Islamic militants seized powerfulness from rival warlords. Mazari was a champion of Afghanistan's taste Hazara minority, Shiites who were persecuted nether the Sunni Taliban's earlier rule.

The statue stood successful the cardinal Bamyan province, wherever the Taliban infamously blew up 2 monolithic 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a upland successful 2001, soon earlier the U.S.-led penetration that drove them from power. The Taliban claimed the Buddhas violated Islam's prohibition connected idolatry.

The Taliban returned to powerfulness past play aft capturing overmuch of the state successful a substance of days, little than 3 weeks earlier the U.S. plans to implicit its unit withdrawal.

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The Taliban person promised a caller epoch of bid and security, saying they volition forgive those who fought against them and assistance women afloat rights nether Islamic law, without elaborating. But galore Afghans are profoundly skeptical of the group, particularly those who retrieve its erstwhile rule, erstwhile it imposed a harsh mentation of Islamic law.

At that time, women were mostly confined to their homes, tv and euphony were banned, and suspected criminals were flogged, maimed oregon executed successful public.

The radical besides hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida successful the years earlier the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The U.S.-led penetration drove them from powerfulness and scattered al-Qaida, but the Taliban past launched a potent insurgency against the U.S. and the Western-backed government.

The Taliban present accidental they volition forestall Afghanistan from again being utilized arsenic a basal for attacks, thing that was enshrined successful a 2020 bid woody with the Trump medication that paved the mode for the American withdrawal.

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Thousands of Afghans person tried to fly the state successful caller days arsenic the U.S. and its allies person struggled to negociate a chaotic withdrawal from the country. The Taliban took implicit the civilian broadside of the Kabul planetary airdrome connected Tuesday and person utilized unit to effort to power the crowds.

Hundreds of radical were extracurricular the airdrome aboriginal Wednesday. The Taliban demanded to spot documents earlier allowing the uncommon rider inside. Many of the radical extracurricular did not look to person passports, and each clip the gross opened adjacent an inch dozens tried to propulsion through. The Taliban fired occasional informing shots to disperse them.

The U.S. Embassy has meantime relocated to the subject broadside of the airport, wherever it is coordinating the aerial assistance of diplomats, foreigners and Afghans who worked with the Americans and present fearfulness reprisal.

The British authorities said it volition invited up to 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, and a full of 20,000 Afghans volition beryllium offered a mode to settee successful the U.K. successful the coming years.

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“We beryllium a indebtedness of gratitude to each those who person worked with america to marque Afghanistan a amended spot implicit the past 20 years," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said precocious Tuesday.

The caput of Afghanistan’s Central Bank meantime said the country's proviso of carnal U.S. dollars is “close to zero." Afghanistan has immoderate $9 cardinal successful reserves, Ajmal Ahmady tweeted, but astir is held extracurricular the country, with immoderate $7 cardinal held successful U.S. Federal Reserve bonds, assets and gold.

Ahmady said the state did not person a planned currency shipment amid the Taliban offensive.

“The adjacent shipment ne'er arrived,” helium wrote. “Seems similar our partners had bully quality arsenic to what was going to happen.”

He said the deficiency of U.S. dollars volition apt pb to a depreciation of the section currency, the afghani, hurting the country's poor. Afghans person been lining up extracurricular ATM machines for days, with galore pulling retired their beingness savings.

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Ahmady said the Taliban volition conflict to entree the country's reserves due to the fact that of planetary sanctions.

The “Taliban won militarily — but present person to govern,” helium wrote. “It is not easy.”

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Faiez reported from Istanbul, Gannon reported from Guelph, Canada, and Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Sylvia Hui successful London and Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

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