Taliban Vows Never To Hand Over Bagram To US
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Sky News that the group will never allow Afghanistan’s territory including Bagram Air Base to fall under foreign control.
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, told Sky News that the group will never allow Afghanistan’s territory including Bagram Air Base to fall under foreign control.
He add that “Afghans will never allow their land to be handed over to anyone under any circumstances.”
Mujahid also confirmed that the Taliban has held discussions with the United States about reopening Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington and the US embassy in Kabul, but gave no details on progress.
Recognition and Legitimacy
The Taliban spokesman claimed that the group does not face a “legitimacy problem,” asserting that “many countries have privately recognised” its government.
He declined to name any such countries, although Russia remains the only state to have formally recognised the Taliban since they seized power four years ago.
Ban on Girls’ Education
Asked whether girls would be allowed to return to schools, Mujahid said: “I cannot make any promises about that.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Education continues to describe the closure of girls’ schools as “temporary,” saying they will reopen once policies are aligned with “Islamic Sharia and Afghan culture.”
However, after four years in power, no plan has been announced to reopen secondary schools or universities for girls.
Internet Blackout and Accountability
Afghanistan recently endured a 48-hour internet blackout that paralysed banking, aviation, and communications services nationwide. Mujahid said he did not know the cause of the outage and would not confirm whether it was ordered by Taliban authorities.
“We have not received any official statement from the Ministry of Telecommunications, so we are not in a position to comment,” he said.
However, one Afghan internet service provider told customers by email that the shutdown had been ordered by the Taliban government. Human rights activists condemned the blackout as censorship that disproportionately affected women who rely on online education.
Ban on Women’s Medical Education
Women are no longer permitted to study medicine or nursing under Taliban rule. The United Nations has called the policy “deeply discriminatory, short-sighted, and life-threatening for women and girls in multiple ways.”
Mujahid defended the ban, saying Afghanistan “has enough female doctors,” and insisted that religious scholars would review the matter “within the framework of Islamic Sharia.”
Despite mounting international criticism, Taliban officials maintain that the country has “progressed” under their rule and is building lasting relations with regional powers.
