KABUL: The organizer of the protest canceled a demonstration in Kabul on Thursday after the Taliban effectively prohibited demonstrations, warning violators “will face severe legal acts”.
Earlier this week armed fighters spread hundreds of protesters in cities in Afghanistan, including the capital of Kabul, Faizabad in the northeast and at Herat in the West, where two people were shot dead.
Wednesday night, the Taliban moved to inhaled further civil riots, said protests would need previous authorization from the Ministry of Justice, adding “temporarily” no demonstrations were permitted.
There was a very strong Taliban presence on the streets of Kabul on Thursday morning when armed fighters including special forces in military fatigue standing guards in street corners and manned checkpoints.
At other protest locations planned in the city, there were no signs of demonstrations.
A Taliban temporary government, which was taken exclusively from loyalist ranking, formally started working this week with a well-established hardline in all the main posts and no women despite previous promises of inclusive administration for all Afghans.
The announcement of the cabinet Tuesday night was a major step in the consolidation of Taliban power, after the amazing military victory who saw them shift the US-backed government on August 15.
All the top positions were submitted to the main leaders of the movement and especially the Haqqani network – the most violent Taliban faction, known for destroying attacks.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhunda Senior Minister during the famous Taliban regime in 1996 to 2001 was appointed as temporary prime minister.
Mullah Yaqoob, the son of Taliban founder and the highest leader Mullah Omar, named Minister of Defense, while the position of the interior minister was given to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani network.
The Taliban Co-Founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, which oversees the signing of the US withdrawal agreement in 2020, was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister.
The ministry was feared for the promotion of virtues and prevention of representatives – previously responsible for arresting and punishing people because they failed to implement the interpretation of the limitation of the Sharia Movement – being restored.
Even when the Taliban consolidated power, they faced a monumental task in governing Afghanistan, which was traced with economic misery and security challenges – including from the local chapter of Islamic groups.
US Secretary Antony Blinken said international legitimacy for the Taliban government must be “obtained”, after leading a virtual meeting of 20 countries about the Afghan crisis.
In Germany, Blinken said the ministerial talk was a “starting point for international coordination” about dealing with the Taliban.
Among countries in virtual meetings were European allies and the historic supporters of the Taliban Pakistan.
“The Taliban looks for international legitimacy.
Every legitimacy – any support – must be obtained,” said Blinken told reporters.
The European Union said the government “caregiver” failed to respect the previous inclusion oath.
China meanwhile said it welcomed the end of “three weeks of anarchy”, adding it “stick to very important” in the announcement of the temporary government.
Qatar, a central intermediary between the Taliban and the international community in recent years, said the Taliban had shown “pragmatism” lately.
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who left the country when the Taliban entered Kabul, apologized Wednesday to the Afghans for how the rules ended.
And on Thursday Cricket Australia said it would cancel the historic first test match against Afghanistan unless the Taliban resigned on a prohibition reported to exercise.
There are other superficial signs from the Taliban tightening their grip.
The images on social media showed the previous country’s main airport nicknamed Hamid Karzai International, after the first post-Taliban president changed its name to Kabul International.
A general holiday scheduled for honoring Ahmad Shah Massoud, the famous anti-Taliban resistance fighters 20 years ago by Al-Qaeda suicide forces were also canceled.