Delegation in Qatar: How the Taliban present themselves in Doha

Two weeks after the fall of Kabul, the world is still puzzling over how rigid the Taliban will govern. In Qatar, where a Taliban delegation has been negotiating for months, they are moderate. An encounter.

A classy hotel lobby in Doha. Marble floor, red plush sofas, gold-colored lounge chairs. So this is where the Taliban give their interviews in the Qatari capital. When entering, Suhail can be recognized from afar by his Pashtun costume. The Taliban spokesman wears a carefully twisted turban, and part of the black scarf hangs down to the side. Before we begin the interview, his son, who accompanies him, checks whether the turban is also well-fitting. Appearance is important.

The voice is calm and he patiently answers all questions. Some of the answers are difficult to control. Why did so many Afghans want to flee the country? “Most of them do not flee out of fear at all, but are economic refugees who want to go to the West. I know Afghan society. Many are now just taking the opportunity and want asylum, even though they did not actually work for the Americans.”

The fact that the Taliban were going from house to house to look for employees of international organizations, that people had been killed – these were “only accusations. Send me the reports of these incidents and we will investigate them. If they are true, we will provide them in court and will punish them. “

The case of the deposed TV presenter Shabnam Dwawran? “It must be an exceptional case, it’s a personal story. Other Afghan media have female reporters who work normally.”

Development aid yes, but …

As an Afghan journalist in Kabul, could you speak to him in the same way as you do here in Doha? In western clothing and, on the advice of colleagues, with a towel thrown loosely over your hair? “Of course.”

A little later he contradicts himself. Because: The West should gladly continue to provide development aid, but if money is used as leverage to force certain things on the Afghans, then that is the wrong way to go. The hijab is part of the Afghan culture. But hijab means: strict covering of hair and neck – no strand should be visible. After all: wearing the burqa, which covers the whole face, apparently no longer makes the Taliban 2.0, as some now call it, a duty.

Learned in communication

The Taliban have learned a lot, at least in terms of external communication. Human rights, women’s rights – “we have nothing against that”. Girls are allowed to go to school, women of course also work. Indeed? A few days earlier, another Taliban representative had restricted this significantly more: women should only work in certain areas: in education, in health professions or in administration.

Shaheen does not accept that: after all, he is the representative and spokesman for the Taliban – at least here in Doha. So his word counts, not that of others.

A government with all its might?

But what does his idea of ​​a future state, the government, look like? “We want inclusive government” – Shaheen gives his interviews in English. A government in which “all Afghans” should be involved, the different ethnic groups, including members of previous governments. In Kabul, the Taliban are holding talks with politicians such as former President Hamid Karzai and his long-standing competitor Abdullah Abdullah. But how much power will such a government have? Or, in the end, doesn’t a larger group of religious leaders of the Taliban have the say after all?

The speaker answers these questions evasively. “That will be decided later.” Are the Taliban striving for a similar system in Afghanistan as in Iran? “That is still being discussed.”

Women’s fears

One day later – an encounter with a woman who has fled Afghanistan. She is nervous, her true identity should not be revealed under any circumstances, it would be too dangerous for the family at home. She is known to be a smart, warm-hearted woman. What can we call them? “Just say: an Afghan woman.”

She doesn’t believe a word of what Spokesman Shaheen said. Everything is just rhetoric to fool the international community. The “inclusive government” will be a pure show for the West. “In the end, they’ll put a few puppets there who won’t open their mouths. The Taliban don’t believe in democracy, they are against elections. And what does it mean to have a government if the people can’t vote?”

Women lived in fear in many places. The Taliban had banned entry to a midwife who worked in a private clinic. Reason: She is not in the company of her male guardian. The interlocutor assures her that she receives stories like this every day, from credible sources. She sees the future bleak, the Taliban would probably stay in the country for a long time. “If our young generation doesn’t stand up against it. I hope that they will do that at some point.”

Also a self-inflicted disaster

Who is to blame for this disaster? Yes, in addition to the Americans, who have now ceded the country to the Taliban, it is of course also the Afghans themselves. “We didn’t have any good leaders.” The big issue: corrupt politicians whom people would not have trusted. Especially in the last government under Ashraf Ghani. Both the “Afghan woman” and the Taliban spokesman agree on this point.

Suhail Shaheen added that they were “surprised” themselves at how quickly they took Kabul. But it would have been easy for them to take power in the country. Only half of the victory was a military one. The negotiations with the provincial princes were at least as important.

“People were frustrated and ready to give us power,” he says. “We took advantage of the situation.”