Fury over British talks with the Taliban: MPs brand militants a vicious death cult and warn we can't trust them over Afghan withdrawal
Taliban leaders cannot be trusted to keep their promises, Tory MPs warned yesterday – as Britain stepped up talks with the militants.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen claimed the group which has seized power in Afghanistan will allow anyone with the ‘proper documents’ to leave the country.
He also said women’s rights will be respected and the Taliban will not allow the country to become a safe haven again for terror groups such as Al Qaeda.
But senior Tory MP Tom Tugendhat accused Shaheen of lying about the Taliban’s true intentions. Mr Tugendhat, a former Army officer who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, accused him of fronting ‘a slick PR operation masking a vicious death cult’.
Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen claimed the group which has seized power in Afghanistan will allow anyone with the 'proper documents' to leave the country and women's rights will be respected
He said it was ‘absolutely clear’ that Taliban fighters were already rounding up and killing Afghans who worked with the West in cities including Kabul, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah.
Mr Tugendhat said it was also evident that girls were being ‘denied education’ by the fanatics and women were being sent home from their jobs.
Fellow Tory Nus Ghani, who is working to get persecuted female MPs out of Afghanistan, said it was clear women would suffer under Taliban rule.
‘I do not believe the Taliban have changed,’ she added.
But Tory MP Tom Tugendhat accused Shaheen of lying about the Taliban's true intentions and accused him of fronting 'a slick PR operation masking a vicious death cult'
It came as Downing Street confirmed it was in talks with the Taliban leadership about securing the safe passage of hundreds of Afghan allies out of the country.
Boris Johnson has despatched his special envoy Sir Simon Gass to Doha in Qatar, where the Taliban leadership has been based for years. A spokesman said Sir Simon was meeting senior Taliban representatives to ‘underline the importance of safe passage out of Afghanistan for British nationals and those Afghans who have worked with us over the past 20 years’.
Senior British intelligence officials are also reported to have held discussions with the Taliban about ensuring the country does not become a safe haven for terror groups again.
Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said: ‘It’s absolutely clear that any international engagement with the Taliban and support for the Afghan people will depend upon the Taliban closing down operational space for terrorist groups inside the country.’
He said it was ‘absolutely clear’ that Taliban fighters were already rounding up and killing Afghans who worked with the West in cities including Kabul, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. Pictured: Taliban fighters in Kandahar on September 1
Sir William Patey, former British ambassador to Afghanistan, said the Government did have ‘some cards’ to play with the Taliban, who want billions of dollars of assets unfrozen and who are likely to need foreign aid to cope with a looming humanitarian crisis.
Shaheen told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the Taliban had changed in the 20 years since they were forced from power after 9/11.
But Afghanistan expert Michael Semple said there was ‘not the slightest evidence on the ground’ that the Taliban had changed. Professor Semple, of Queen’s University Belfast, said the movement was ‘dedicated to tyranny’ and claims the group had changed were little more than a ‘PR campaign’.