Taliban says Ashraf Ghani, Saleh can return to Afghanistan if they want
Kabul: The Afghan Taliban have extended their amnesty to president and vice president Ashraf Ghani and Amrullah Saleh respectively, and allowed them to return to Afghanistan if they wished to do so.
Speaking to Pakistan-based Geo News, senior Taliban leader Khalil ur Rahman Haqqani said "there is no enmity" between the group and Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and former national security advisor, Hamdullah Mohib.
"We forgive Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and Hamdullah Mohib," said Haqqani, adding that enmity between the Taliban and the three was only on the basis of religion.
"We forgive everyone from our end; from the general [who fought in the war against us] to the common man," he said.
He asked people who are escaping Afghanistan not to do so.
"Tajiks, Balochs, Hazaras and Pashtuns are all our brothers," he added.
"All Afghans are our brothers and hence, they can return to the country," he said. "The sole reason for our enmity was driven by the ambition to change the system. The system has now changed," he told Geo News.
On August 15, the Taliban entered Kabul.
President Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants stormed the city.
Many countries have since started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan.
Anti-Taliban demonstrations are taking place in different parts of the globe.
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