Taliban Leader Baradar Returns to Kabul Aiming to Form Government - The New York Times

The Taliban appeared closer to forming a government nearly a week after seizing the capital as one of their leaders, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Kabul to begin talks with former President Hamid Karzai and other politicians.

“The negotiations are going on right now,” said Ahmadullah Waseq, deputy of the Taliban’s cultural affairs committee, who confirmed Mr. Baradar’s arrival in the capital.

For now, he said, Taliban officials are largely talking among themselves in preparation for the negotiations.

“Then we will talk with other parties to form an inclusive government acceptable to all Afghans,” Mr. Waseq added. “It is not clear when will we have a new government, but we are trying to announce it as soon as we can.”

Other Taliban leaders met on Saturday with Mr. Karzai and a second, prominent ex-Afghan official, Abdullah Abdullah, a former chief executive of the government, to discuss life under the Taliban.

As talks got underway in serene, formal settings, scenes of havoc played out near the Kabul airport, where thousands of Afghans have thronged, desperate to find space on an evacuation flight.

The situation there was fueling concern about the Taliban’s ability to govern a war-weary nation besieged by a humanitarian crisis, growing dissent and fears about a return to the group’s harsh and violent rule.

Although U.S. troops are accelerating the evacuations, President Biden has made clear that the mission will not be open-ended, raising the risk that many Afghans will be left behind to face life under the new regime.

Since capturing Kabul, the Taliban have sought to rebrand themselves as more moderate, promising former rivals amnesty, urging women to join their government, pledging stability at home and trying to persuade the international community to see beyond a bloody past defined by violence and repression.

But many in Afghanistan and abroad are deeply skeptical of their professed transformation, recalling the Taliban’s mode of governance in the late 1990s, when they imposed a harsh interpretation of Islam that deprived women of basic rights like education and encouraged punishments like floggings, amputations and mass executions.

As the Taliban prepare the rough outlines of their new government, Mr. Baradar, one of the group’s founders, is emerging as a leader of what the group refers to as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

A longtime lieutenant to the Taliban’s founding supreme leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, Mr. Baradar has a large and loyal following among the Taliban rank and file. He recently acted as chief negotiator in high-level peace talks in Qatar, where he presided over the agreement that cleared the way for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Understand the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan

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Who are the Taliban? The Taliban arose in 1994 amid the turmoil that came after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989. They used brutal public punishments, including floggings, amputations and mass executions, to enforce their rules. Here’s more on their origin story and their record as rulers.

Who are the Taliban leaders? These are the top leaders of the Taliban, men who have spent years on the run, in hiding, in jail and dodging American drones. Little is known about them or how they plan to govern, including whether they will be as tolerant as they claim to be.

How did the Taliban gain control? See how the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in a few months, and read about how their strategy enabled them to do so.

What happens to the women of Afghanistan? The last time the Taliban were in power, they barred women and girls from taking most jobs or going to school. Afghan women have made many gains since the Taliban were toppled, but now they fear that ground may be lost. Taliban officials are trying to reassure women that things will be different, but there are signs that, at least in some areas, they have begun to reimpose the old order.

What does their victory mean for terrorist groups? The United States invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago in response to terrorism, and many worry that Al Qaeda and other radical groups will again find safe haven there.

Mr. Baradar began making his way back to Afghanistan this week from Qatar.

The new government will face huge challenges, including a lack of legitimacy, as everyday Afghans, members of the security and intelligence services, foreign governments and the international community may not accept it as the rightful government of the Afghan people.

Basic services like electricity are under threat as many fearful state employees have not turned up for work for fear of Taliban retribution. And a humanitarian crisis is intensifying, with two-thirds of the country suffering from malnutrition.

The situation will be exacerbated by the lack of funding. Washington has frozen Afghan government reserves held in U.S. bank accounts, and the International Monetary Fund has blocked Afghanistan from accessing emergency reserves.

In recent days, Taliban leaders, including Amir Khan Muttaqi, a former information minister, have started conversations with onetime adversaries, including the former U.S.-backed president, Mr. Karzai, about the shape of a new government.

The involvement of Mr. Karzai and Mr. Abdullah, both well-known to world leaders, in any negotiations could help give a veneer of credibility to the new government. But observers have also looked on with alarm at the ascent of other figures like Khalil Haqqani, 48, a leader of one of the most powerful and violent Taliban factions, who is expected to play a prominent role.

Saturday’s preliminary talks came a day after the Taliban faced armed resistance to their rule in the mountains north of Kabul, according to former Afghan officials. They were driven out of three rural districts

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Taliban Leader Baradar Returns to Kabul Aiming to Form Government - The New York Times
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