Taliban declare ‘general amnesty’ for Afghan govt staff, tell them to come back to work

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<strong>The Taliban on Tuesday announced a “general amnesty” for all government officials and asked them to return to work, two days after taking over the reins of power in a lightning military offensive.</strong></p>
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"A general amnesty has been declared for all… so you should start your routine life with full confidence," the Taliban said in a statement.</p>
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The statement comes at a time when the government staff are terrified over the possibility that they would have to face reprisals from the Taliban as they have been part of the administration of ousted president Ashraf Ghani who has fled the country.</p>
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There have also been long queues outside cash dispensing machines in Kabul as scared Afghans want to withdraw their life savings since the future is uncertain.</p>
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Fear stalks the streets of major cities such as Kabul and thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in a desperate attempt to leave the country. Some of them have even abandoned their cars on the roads.</p>
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American forces fired in the air at the Kabul airport on Monday to prevent desperate Afghans running onto the tarmac to board military flights in an attempt to flee from the Taliban.</p>
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The Taliban are also under international pressure with US President warning them on Monday that any attack on the evacuation efforts of American embassy staff and Afghan translators at the Kabul airport would get a "swift and forceful" response from the US forces.</p>
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While Russia has welcomed the exit of US troops from Afghanistan and has not been averse to the Taliban taking over power, it has made it clear that it will not recognise the Taliban government in a hurry.  Moscow has said that it will see the conduct of the Taliban on the ground before it takes such a decision and would not go merely by rhetoric.</p>
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The Central Asian Republics such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan who like Russia have not evacuated their embassies in Kabul also appear to be in a wait-and-watch mode before they take up the issue of according recognition to the Taliban.</p>
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At the moment only China and Pakistan seem to be the closest allies of the Taliban.</p>