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KABUL: It wasn’t 7 am but and already the road exterior the police station’s gates was lengthy, with males bringing their complaints and calls for for justice to Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers.
One thing new they instantly discovered: The Taliban fighters who at the moment are the policemen do not demand bribes like cops did below the usbacked authorities of the previous 20 years.
“Earlier than, everybody was stealing our cash,” stated Hajj Ahmad Khan, who was amongst these in line on the Kabul District 8 police station on a current day.
“In all places in our villages and in authorities places of work, everybody had their palms out,” he stated.
Many Afghans worry the cruel methods of the Taliban, their hard-line ideology or their extreme restrictions of girls’s freedoms. However the motion does carry a fame for not being corrupt, a stark distinction to the federal government it ousted, which was notoriously rife with bribery, embezzlement and graft.
Even residents who shudder on the potential return of punishments – reminiscent of chopping off the palms of thieves – say some safety has returned to Kabul because the Taliban swept in on Aug. 15.
Underneath the earlier authorities, gangs of thieves had pushed most individuals off the streets by darkish. A number of roads between cities are once more open and have even been given the inexperienced gentle for journey by some worldwide help organizations.
Nonetheless, there are risks. On Sunday, a bomb exterior Kabul’s Eid Gah mosque killed a number of civilians and focused Taliban members attending a memorial service. Nobody took accountability for the bombing however the rival Islamic State group has ramped up assaults towards the Taliban in an IS stronghold in jap Afghanistan.
Throughout their final time in energy within the late Nineties, the Taliban provided a trade-off: They introduced a stability Afghans desperately sought and eradicated corruption, however additionally they imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic legislation.
That included punishments just like the hand amputations, executions of murderers with a single bullet to the top, most frequently by a relative of the homicide sufferer and all carried out in public. Spiritual police beat males for trimming their beards or for not attending prayers.
Prior to now week, the Taliban arrested 85 alleged criminals, some accused of petty crimes, and others of homicide, kidnapping and theft, stated Noor Ahmad Rabbani of the Taliban’s anti-crime division.
The Taliban say they may carry again their earlier punishments. The one query is whether or not they may carry them out publicly, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, former justice minister and present official in control of prisons, advised The Related Press.
Some punishments have already reappeared. The our bodies of 4 males had been hung from cranes within the middle of town of Herat, after being killed by Taliban whereas allegedly trying a kidnapping.
On not less than two events in Kabul, petty thieves had been paraded across the streets to disgrace them, handcuffed, with their faces painted or with stale bread stuffed of their mouths.
Gun-toting Taliban have taken up positions at checkpoints throughout Kabul and step by step some have been made to put on uniforms — the beginnings of a brand new nationwide safety power, officers say.
For a lot of Kabul residents — significantly the younger who grew up on horror tales concerning the earlier interval of Taliban rule — the sight of the fighters is scary as they roam the streets freely, with their signature lengthy hair, conventional costume and Kalashnikov rifles hanging by their sides.
However to date, they seem to have introduced reduction from corruption. Earlier than the Taliban takeover in August, individuals needed to pay bribes merely to settle a utility invoice. Rampant fraud within the army was one cause it collapsed so rapidly within the face of the advancing Taliban.
Regardless of the overt graft, the U.S. and Europe poured billions of {dollars} into the federal government with little oversight.
As prior to now, the Taliban have turned to tribal elders to settle disputes. Final week, a bunch of elders gathered in a Kabul mosque to adjudicate a stabbing assault that brought about minor accidents.
The elders ordered the perpetrator’s father to pay the sufferer the equal of almost USD 400, sufficient to cowl the medical bills.
Muhammed Yousef Jawid accepted his punishment.
“It is quick, and far cheaper than it was below the earlier system,” he stated.
On the District 8 police station, the brand new commander, an affable Taliban named Zabihullah, stated the Taliban had fought for 20 years to carry Islamic legal guidelines to Afghanistan. “Now individuals are secure below our authorities,” he stated.
Zabihullah, who like many Afghans goes by one identify, is from central Ghazni province, the place the insurgents waged a few of their most bitter battles over the last twenty years.
At 32, he stated he hasn’t educated to be a police commander, with most of his schooling at a madrassa, or spiritual faculty. However Zabihullah stated his years at conflict and adherence to the Taliban interpretation of Islamic legislation had ready him.
Exterior the police station gates, the road was getting longer.
Sixty-year-old Khan had come from jap Khost province to hunt Taliban assist in accumulating an impressive mortgage. He stated he supported Taliban punishments like amputations, although not for petty thieves.
He stated they’ve introduced some safety “as a result of they deal with the legal below Islamic legislation.”
A faculty principal, who did not wish to give his identify fearing repercussions, had come to the police station to complain about mother and father who’re months behind on faculty charges.
He stated he wished to offer Taliban rule an opportunity. Underneath the earlier authorities, he was charged bribes every time he went to the police to complain about delinquent funds.
“America invested a lot of cash in Afghanistan, nevertheless it was a mafia that was operating the nation,” he stated.
One other complainant, who gave his identify solely as Dr. Sharif, had returned lately from Saudi Arabia the place he had labored for a number of years. He had no objection to Taliban-style punishments however argued strenuously towards placing Taliban leaders and spiritual clerics in control of authorities departments.
“We want skilled individuals … we’d like financial specialists, not a maulvi who has no thought about enterprise,” he stated, utilizing a phrase for a Muslim cleric.
Nonetheless, he welcomed having his grievance heard with none demand for a bribe from the Taliban police. Earlier than, police demanded a bribe simply to get into the station.
“The error of the previous governments,” he stated, “was that they put all the cash into their pockets.”
One thing new they instantly discovered: The Taliban fighters who at the moment are the policemen do not demand bribes like cops did below the usbacked authorities of the previous 20 years.
“Earlier than, everybody was stealing our cash,” stated Hajj Ahmad Khan, who was amongst these in line on the Kabul District 8 police station on a current day.
“In all places in our villages and in authorities places of work, everybody had their palms out,” he stated.
Many Afghans worry the cruel methods of the Taliban, their hard-line ideology or their extreme restrictions of girls’s freedoms. However the motion does carry a fame for not being corrupt, a stark distinction to the federal government it ousted, which was notoriously rife with bribery, embezzlement and graft.
Even residents who shudder on the potential return of punishments – reminiscent of chopping off the palms of thieves – say some safety has returned to Kabul because the Taliban swept in on Aug. 15.
Underneath the earlier authorities, gangs of thieves had pushed most individuals off the streets by darkish. A number of roads between cities are once more open and have even been given the inexperienced gentle for journey by some worldwide help organizations.
Nonetheless, there are risks. On Sunday, a bomb exterior Kabul’s Eid Gah mosque killed a number of civilians and focused Taliban members attending a memorial service. Nobody took accountability for the bombing however the rival Islamic State group has ramped up assaults towards the Taliban in an IS stronghold in jap Afghanistan.
Throughout their final time in energy within the late Nineties, the Taliban provided a trade-off: They introduced a stability Afghans desperately sought and eradicated corruption, however additionally they imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic legislation.
That included punishments just like the hand amputations, executions of murderers with a single bullet to the top, most frequently by a relative of the homicide sufferer and all carried out in public. Spiritual police beat males for trimming their beards or for not attending prayers.
Prior to now week, the Taliban arrested 85 alleged criminals, some accused of petty crimes, and others of homicide, kidnapping and theft, stated Noor Ahmad Rabbani of the Taliban’s anti-crime division.
The Taliban say they may carry again their earlier punishments. The one query is whether or not they may carry them out publicly, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, former justice minister and present official in control of prisons, advised The Related Press.
Some punishments have already reappeared. The our bodies of 4 males had been hung from cranes within the middle of town of Herat, after being killed by Taliban whereas allegedly trying a kidnapping.
On not less than two events in Kabul, petty thieves had been paraded across the streets to disgrace them, handcuffed, with their faces painted or with stale bread stuffed of their mouths.
Gun-toting Taliban have taken up positions at checkpoints throughout Kabul and step by step some have been made to put on uniforms — the beginnings of a brand new nationwide safety power, officers say.
For a lot of Kabul residents — significantly the younger who grew up on horror tales concerning the earlier interval of Taliban rule — the sight of the fighters is scary as they roam the streets freely, with their signature lengthy hair, conventional costume and Kalashnikov rifles hanging by their sides.
However to date, they seem to have introduced reduction from corruption. Earlier than the Taliban takeover in August, individuals needed to pay bribes merely to settle a utility invoice. Rampant fraud within the army was one cause it collapsed so rapidly within the face of the advancing Taliban.
Regardless of the overt graft, the U.S. and Europe poured billions of {dollars} into the federal government with little oversight.
As prior to now, the Taliban have turned to tribal elders to settle disputes. Final week, a bunch of elders gathered in a Kabul mosque to adjudicate a stabbing assault that brought about minor accidents.
The elders ordered the perpetrator’s father to pay the sufferer the equal of almost USD 400, sufficient to cowl the medical bills.
Muhammed Yousef Jawid accepted his punishment.
“It is quick, and far cheaper than it was below the earlier system,” he stated.
On the District 8 police station, the brand new commander, an affable Taliban named Zabihullah, stated the Taliban had fought for 20 years to carry Islamic legal guidelines to Afghanistan. “Now individuals are secure below our authorities,” he stated.
Zabihullah, who like many Afghans goes by one identify, is from central Ghazni province, the place the insurgents waged a few of their most bitter battles over the last twenty years.
At 32, he stated he hasn’t educated to be a police commander, with most of his schooling at a madrassa, or spiritual faculty. However Zabihullah stated his years at conflict and adherence to the Taliban interpretation of Islamic legislation had ready him.
Exterior the police station gates, the road was getting longer.
Sixty-year-old Khan had come from jap Khost province to hunt Taliban assist in accumulating an impressive mortgage. He stated he supported Taliban punishments like amputations, although not for petty thieves.
He stated they’ve introduced some safety “as a result of they deal with the legal below Islamic legislation.”
A faculty principal, who did not wish to give his identify fearing repercussions, had come to the police station to complain about mother and father who’re months behind on faculty charges.
He stated he wished to offer Taliban rule an opportunity. Underneath the earlier authorities, he was charged bribes every time he went to the police to complain about delinquent funds.
“America invested a lot of cash in Afghanistan, nevertheless it was a mafia that was operating the nation,” he stated.
One other complainant, who gave his identify solely as Dr. Sharif, had returned lately from Saudi Arabia the place he had labored for a number of years. He had no objection to Taliban-style punishments however argued strenuously towards placing Taliban leaders and spiritual clerics in control of authorities departments.
“We want skilled individuals … we’d like financial specialists, not a maulvi who has no thought about enterprise,” he stated, utilizing a phrase for a Muslim cleric.
Nonetheless, he welcomed having his grievance heard with none demand for a bribe from the Taliban police. Earlier than, police demanded a bribe simply to get into the station.
“The error of the previous governments,” he stated, “was that they put all the cash into their pockets.”
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