Taliban rule is open-ended, their chief spokesman says

The Taliban view their rule of Afghanistan as open-ended, drawing legitimacy from Islamic law and facing no significant threat, their chief spokesman said in an interview marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.

Zabihullah Mujahid brushed aside any questions from The Associated Press about restrictions on girls and women, saying he had nothing new to say on the matter while also indicating the status quo will remain. The ban on girls attending school beyond sixth grade was the first of what in the second year of Taliban control became a flurry of restrictions that now keep Afghan girls and women from classrooms, most jobs and much of public life.

The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war.

They marked their second anniversary as rulers of Afghanistan on Tuesday, which was declared a public holiday. Women, largely barred from public life, didn’t take part in the festivities.

In the southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, military personnel posed with armored vehicles. Young men rode through the city on two wheels or four, waving flags and brandishing weapons. Toddlers clutched smaller white Taliban flags with a photo of the Defense Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqoob on the bottom right corner.

In the capital, Kabul, pickup trucks crammed with males of various ages wound their way through the city. Men swarmed Martyrs Square, taking selfies and clambering onto a monument. Boys posed with rifles.

Over the past two years, it has become increasingly apparent that the seat of power is in Kandahar, the home of supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, rather than the Talibanled government in Kabul.

The interview with Mujahid took place late Monday in a TV studio on a rundown former military compound in Kandahar. The U.N. Mission in Afghanistan and local government departments are nearby.

Mujahid arrived in a white SUV, accompanied by one guard and a driver.

‘No fixed term’

He spoke calmly and politely, falling back on Taliban talking points on issues like women’s rights and international recognition.

He said Taliban rule is open-ended because it draws its legitimacy from Islamic law, or Sharia. “There is no fixed term for the Islamic government,” he said. “It will serve for as long as it can and as long as the emir (the supreme leader) isn’t removed for doing something that goes against Sharia.”

Taking stock after two years, Mujahid said that there is no threat to Taliban rule from inside or outside the country. He claimed that the current government is acting responsibly, and that Afghans crave consensus and unity.

“There is no need for anyone to rebel,” Mujahid said.

In a statement Tuesday, the Taliban government listed what it considered its accomplishments, including restoring a sense of personal safety and national pride.