Denmark's Foreign Minister Says Nation Won't Recognize Any Taliban Government
00:33 GMT 04.09.2021 (Updated: 16:35 GMT 08.12.2022)
© REUTERS / WANA NEWS AGENCY
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The Taliban* takeover took place in light of the hasty US troop pullout after an almost 20-year mission, which ended on August 31. Despite the group's regular claims that they seek an inclusive government to end the war, and that they will provide certain rights and freedoms of citizens within the framework of Islamic law, concerns remain.
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod has stated that no Taliban government will be recognized by Denmark, marking the first such statement from a Western country involved in the recently completed 20-year, US-led intervention in Afghanistan.
As the Taliban reportedly were to announce the new government on Friday after Muslim prayers, Kofod told the Danish DR broadcaster that Denmark "does not recognize any Taliban government."
The news outlet quoted Jeppe Kofod as saying that the country's officials are concerned about "ensuring that the progress we have made through two decades of efforts in Afghanistan can be sustained," as per translation.
The most pressing concern, according to the foreign minister, is that everyone on the country's evacuation list is able to depart Afghanistan "in good order."
Commenting on media speculation about the government announcement, a spokesperson for the Taliban, Bilal Karimi, told Sputnik that the date when the new Afghan government will be presented is not yet known, and that the delay is due to technical problems.
Karimi promised that the composition of the government will be announced in the near future, noting that consultations on the formation of the government were completed.
Afghan women walk on the road during the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 13, 2021
© AP Photo / Mariam Zuhaib
However, the spokesman declined to confirm or deny that the new government will be led by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban's political office.
Also on Friday, in light of ever-growing concerns about the fate of women's freedoms and rights in a country now ruled by Islamists, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen joined other female European leaders in a statement, promising support for Afghan women's "rights and opportunities."
"Today I joined ten colleagues to reassure Afghan women and girls that we will closely follow the developments in their country, listen to their voices, and continue to support their rights and opportunities," Frederiksen wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, another representative for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that there will be no women ministers in the new Afghan government.
However, he pointed out that "women could, for example, work in ministries, in the police force or, for example, in the judiciary as assistants," because of the restrictions imposed by the Qur'an and Sharia law. He also promised that women would be allowed to attend universities.
Taliban officials have repeatedly stressed that the upcoming government will represent "all Afghans" and be a government of "national unity."
The Taliban took Kabul on August 15, ending a weeks-long offensive, and bringing an end to the US-backed government.
*The Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries.
