Who are the Taliban 2.0?

The insurgent group has tried to assure Afghans they will be safe, but experts warn of a return to the brutal rule of the 1990s.

The Taliban is a lot more media savvy now. Its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid shook hands with a journalist after his first news conference, in Kabul on Tuesday. AP

Stephanie Findlay

Aug 18, 2021 – 3.43pm

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The Taliban has pledged to create an open and inclusive government after its fighters took control of Kabul, but most observers fear little has changed in 20 years and expect the swift return of repressive theocratic rule in Afghanistan.

“Life, property and honour of none shall be harmed but must be protected by the mujahideen,” says the Taliban’s Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen, the latest message from the Islamist extremists trying to assure Afghans that they will be safe.

Financial Times