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Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada reportedly emerged on Wednesday for a uncommon public deal with marking the tip of Ramadan during which he pushed again on worldwide criticism.
Authorities spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid mentioned Akhundzada delivered the speech on the largest mosque in Kandahar to a crowd of hundreds. Most attendees on the Eid al-Fitr service, nevertheless, have been unable to see Akhundzada, as a supply for the AFP reported. They heard his 35-minute deal with over loudspeakers.
The Taliban’s chief exists behind layers of safety and is also known as “reclusive”; there may be reportedly just one {photograph} of him.
Within the deal with, which was additionally aired by the state-run radio station, Akhundzada railed in opposition to the Taliban’s critics.
“If anybody has any points with us, we’re open to resolving them, however we are going to by no means compromise on our rules or Islam,” he mentioned, based on a report from VOA.
Akhundzada mentioned international locations that participated within the U.S.-led warfare in Afghanistan have been nonetheless attacking the nation with “propaganda” and “evil ways.”
“They blame your leaders, claiming they’re incapable of governing the nation. Don’t let these infidels mislead you,” he mentioned. “Keep vigilant and be aware of their deceitful ways. Their final objective is to see us fail.”
Because the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the nation’s economic system has cratered and poverty has grown. In response to an April 2023 United Nations Improvement Program report, by the tip of 2022 the variety of Afghans dwelling beneath the poverty line had almost doubled since 2020 — from round 19 million to 34 million. A February 2024 World Financial institution report referred to financial exercise in Afghanistan as “anemic.”
In his Eid speech, Akhundzada sought to justify his regime’s harsh rule, which has included barring ladies from college and ladies from most private and non-private workplaces. In late March, Akhundzada introduced that Afghanistan would reintroduce the general public flogging and stoning of ladies for adultery. In an audio message he mentioned, “You could name it a violation of ladies’s rights after we publicly stone or flog them for committing adultery as a result of they battle together with your democratic rules… [But] I signify Allah, and also you signify Devil.”
Akhundzada firmly rooted the Taliban’s legitimacy in its adherence to Islam, a message reiterated in his Eid deal with.
“I’m administering God’s Hudud,” he mentioned, referring to publishments which might be mandated in Islam’s holy texts, primarily the Quran. “They object to it, saying public stoning and hand-cutting are in opposition to their legal guidelines and human rights. You count on us to comply with your legal guidelines whereas imposing them on us,” Akhundzada continued. “Islam is a divine faith that deserves respect, however you insult it as a substitute.”
Though Akhundzada’s Eid speech focused the Taliban’s exterior foes, in a written assertion launched on April 6, he urged Taliban officers to “reside a brotherly life amongst themselves, keep away from disagreements and selfishness.” In response to the Related Press, “His message was distributed in seven languages together with Uzbek and Turkmen… and it touched on diplomatic relations, the economic system, justice, charity and the virtues of meritocracy.”
In different Eid speeches, Taliban officers rejected criticism from the United Nations. Noor Mohammad Saqib, the performing Minister of Hajj and Non secular Affairs, mentioned, “The United Nations report claiming that in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate, also referred to as the Taliban, eliminates their political opponents, is propaganda.”
It’s not clear particularly which U.N. report Saqib was referencing, although there is no such thing as a scarcity of essential experiences.
In response to Tolo Information, Saqib went on to criticize the previous Republic authorities, noting its shortcomings in regard to corruption, border administration and different points.
Different Taliban officers urged Afghans to return to the nation. The top of the prime minister’s workplace, Abdul Wasi Akhund, reportedly mentioned, “We inform all residents that our homeland is peaceable and the present state of affairs is secure with total stability, safety, and nationwide unity within the nation, and we must always help this case.”
One other official, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi mentioned, “We envision a vivid future in Afghanistan and a civilized and progressive Afghanistan that may compete on this area.”
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