The acting minister of the interior of the Taliban states that Taliban security officers who are guilty of misdeeds in Afghanistan are getting punished after numerous allegations of abuse.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban acting minister of interior identified as an armed terror suspect by the U.S. — said in a rare appearance on the public stage on Saturday that security forces who were found to be in breach of the law in Afghanistan were punished following an array of allegations of abuse.
The first time, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s face images were released by the official Taliban media channels. This was in contrast to an appearance in October, where photographs of the powerful and private model were blurred.
On Saturday, Haqqani was seen at the graduation ceremony of the first class that completed police training after the Taliban took over Afghanistan. The course comprised 377 students, female and male, who were able to graduate in the ceremony.
The ceremony marked one of the first times Haqqani made comments to journalists following his appointment as the interior minister.
Haqqani made a statement during the ceremony that Taliban security officials who had committed violations at the hands of Afghan civilians were in the midst of criminal trials. Civilians have complained about brutality by Taliban militants during house-to-house raids and at checkpoints.
In January, a girl was killed by a Taliban security officer at an entry point. The suspect was later detained.
Haqqani admitted that “some violations are committed” in the past among ex- Taliban fighters who switched from fighting in a war to policing the streets. He said they were in training.
Haqqani claimed that the international community shouldn’t consider his government an adversary, and the need for foreign assistance was essential for the country’s revival. The president said that the government of his country was committed to the Doha peace accord signed by Haqqani and the Taliban together with the U.S. in February last year, which ended the conflict in Afghanistan.
The agreement calls for the Taliban to stop groups of extremists such as al-Qaeda from using Afghanistan to establish bases from which to attack international security.
In an apparent call to arms for international concern over the Taliban’s willingness the right to education and job specifically for females, Haqqani stated that women could work and attend schools in the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
For the women who have graduated from police, He stated: “Today our sisters are part of this celebration. They are getting their diplomas as graduates and are getting appointed to various positions.” He didn’t specify the number of women who had graduated.
The Taliban have been urging the release of millions of dollars of Afghan reserve funds from the central bank, frozen in foreign banks as the country faces dry spells, cash shortages, and widespread hunger.
Haqqani has been identified as wanted by the FBI and is carrying the FBI with a bounty of $10 million for information that leads to his detention.
