Taliban announce 'general amnesty' for govt officials: statement

 INA-sources

 
The Taliban on Tuesday declared a general amnesty for all government officials and urged them to return to work, two days after taking power following a lightning sweep through the country.
 
"A general amnesty has been declared for all... so you should start your routine life with full confidence," said a statement from the Taliban.
 
President Joe Biden earlier defended the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan after the Taliban's stunning military takeover that triggered panic in Kabul with thousands mobbing the airport in a desperate attempt to flee.
In his first public appearance since the group seized control of the country at the weekend, he admitted the Taliban advance had unfolded more quickly than expected.
Heaping criticism at the Western-backed government that was ousted with shockingly little resistance, he said US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders "gave up and fled", as did President Ashraf Ghani.
 
"We gave them every chance to determine their own future. We could not provide them with the will to fight for that future," Biden said in his address at the White House.
 
Source: The Express Tribune