Afghanistan’s Taliban prime minister delivered his first public speech since the Islamist group took power more than three months ago, saying the government wants good relations with other countries and would solve economic problems.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, a Taliban co-founder, covered a range of issues in the November 27 audio address to the nation broadcast on state television.
"We assure all the countries that we will not interfere in their internal affairs and we want to have good economic relations with them," Akhund said in a 30-minute speech.
The Taliban seized power after capturing Kabul in mid-August as U.S.-led international forces withdrew from the country after a 20-year war. Akhund said the Taliban had fulfilled its promises to fight foreign forces until the establishment of an Islamic government.
But since it toppled the previous government, the Taliban has struggled to turn a guerilla movement into a functioning administration.
The country has been in a major financial crisis with soaring inflation, unemployment, and a plunging currency that has left the already fragile economy in a mess.
The war-torn country’s economic woes have been exacerbated by Washington's freezing of about $10 billion in Afghan Central Bank reserves parked in the United States, leaving the new rulers in Kabul with limited funds. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund also halted Afghanistan's access to funding.
Foreign donors had provided around 75 percent of the budget to the previous Western-backed government. Even then, the country was suffering from a humanitarian crisis due to conflict, severe drought, and poor governance.
The United Nations' aid agencies have warned of a major humanitarian crisis, with more than half of the country's 38 million population expected to face hunger this winter.
"We are drowned in our problems and we are trying to get the strength to bring our people out of miseries and hardships with God's help," Akhund said.
"We ask all the international charity organizations to not withhold their aid and to help our exhausted nation... so that the problems of the people can be solved," he added.
The Taliban premier stated that the country’s economic crisis would be resolved if the United States released Afghanistan’s central bank reserves.
He added that Afghans should not believe that the Taliban is to blame for the country's problems, which he claimed were the result of the previous corrupt government.
No country has recognized the new Taliban government. Western countries are looking for ways to engage the Taliban and address the country’s dire humanitarian situation, but want to avoid direct support for the new government.
The United States and its allies are conditioning recognition of the Taliban on it forming an inclusive government and respecting human rights, including those of minorities and women and girls. Other conditions include the Taliban not allowing the country to become a base for international terrorism and allowing foreign nationals and Afghans who want to leave the country to do so.
Under the Taliban, most girls in grades seven through 12 are banned from attending school and most women in the civil service are prohibited from working.
"Girls' education has resumed to a large extent and there is hope that the education will be further facilitated," Akhund said, indicating that any policy toward women would be guided by the group’s interpretation of Islamic principles.
Akhund claimed his government was inclusive. However, the current all-male government is composed of Taliban members and its allies while 90 percent of those in power are from the Pashtun ethnic group.
Afghanistan's Taliban Premier Gives First Speech To Nation
Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund