Arab reactions vary on Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

ISTANBUL

As the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, Arab countries, organizations, and personalities have expressed a mixture of reactions over the group’s takeover of the Central Asian country with some sending congratulatory messages and others making calls for maintaining stability and security in the country.

After quickly overrunning smaller administrative districts and provincial hubs, the Taliban fighters on Sunday entered the Afghan capital Kabul and seized power, taking the country’s reins of power for the first time in almost 20 years.

The government quickly folded, with President Ashraf Ghani and other key officials fleeing for safety abroad.

Qatar's Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, told a press conference during his visit to Jordan on Monday that Doha seeks a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan that paves the way for a comprehensive political solution.

There is "work with international partners and the United Nations to help restore stability in Afghanistan" and secure Afghan people “as soon as possible," he added.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "stands with the Afghan people and the choices they made on their own without interference".

The ministry called on the Taliban and other Afghan parties to work together “to preserve security, stability, lives, and property."

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed his country's "concern over what is happening in Afghanistan".

Speaking during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Safadi called on the Taliban to prioritize security and stability in the country to avert further chaos.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said it was concerned by the developments in Afghanistan and urged all Afghan parties to exercise “utmost restraint in order to prevent bloodshed" and to ensure "full protection of civilians, and the safe exit of stranded diplomats and foreign nationals."

Calls for stability and security in Afghanistan were also reiterated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the country’s foreign ministry expressing hope that all Afghan parties will “urgently” make concerted efforts towards that end.

Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said on Twitter that recent announcements by the Taliban have been “encouraging”, in reference to the general amnesty offered by the group and its assurances of welcoming the role of women.

The Grand Mufti of Oman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili, congratulated the Afghan people for what he considered a "clear conquest and victory over the aggressor invaders", and urged all Afghans to unite and ensure “that tolerance and harmony prevail among them."

The Palestinian Presidency said the events in Afghanistan prove that external protection “does not bring security to any country” and called on Israel to “absorb the lesson.”

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh made a phone call with Mullah Abdul-Ghani Barader, head of the Taliban's political bureau, to congratulate him on "the end of the American occupation of Afghanistan", saying their demise in Afghanistan is a ‘prelude to the demise of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the scene of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan was "very big" in which Washington failed and was “defeated and humiliated."

For his part, Muhammad al-Hamdaoui, the head of external relations for the Justice and Development Party, Morocco’s largest party, said his party was following developments in Afghanistan and supports "the independence of the Afghan people from all foreign interference."

He urged the Afghans to enter their new phase by ensuring respect for rights and freedoms, and the establishment of a just state without violence, exclusion, or discrimination.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara