♪ >> hello again the. adrian filling in. afghanistan's new acting prime minister says the bloodshed and killings are over in his country. he wants officials to return and to be part of the new interim government. >> the islamic emirate announced general amnesty for all those who caused the taliban fighters to suffer the most severe forms of torture and abuse, and this is evidence of the movement's big heart.

no one will be able to prove that he was subjected to revenge, and in such tense circumstances, it is easy to do what you want. we've not harmed anyone because of their previous actions. >> officials in ethiopia say 120 civilians have been killed in a massacre. the tigre and the people's liberation front is being accused of the killings, but they deny that. morocco says just over 50% of eligible voters turned out to choose members of parliament and regional councils. preliminary results are expected at any time. the election comes during an economic crisis deepened by the pandemic. the west african bloc has suspended guinea after sunday's military coup.

regional leaders demanded that the military rulers release the president from custody. the economic community of west african states will send a high-level delegation to guinea's capital. the world health organization is again urging wealthy countries not to offer coronavirus booster shots. the organization's chief says he is appalled many poor nations cannot get jabs while rich nations are considering third doses. those are the headlines. the news continues on al jazeera after inside story coming up next. ♪

cooks the old guard in the top ranks and women exclud. the taliban's interim government is criticized for falling short. what the group promises change. will it get to the support it needs to tackle afghanistan's crises? this is "inside story." hello, welcome to the program. the taliban promised in inclusive government that represents women, but after weeks of anticipation, it's government appears to lack that. it is an all-male caretaker cabinet, containing mainly the groups founders, as well as

members of the haqqani network, a terrorist organization recognized in the u.s. foreign governments and lenders mainly want to see the rights of women and ethnic minorities respected. the taliban needs their support to secure desperately needed aid and run government institutions. the group says other posts need to be filled, and permanent leadership will be named soon. >> thank god our country regained its freedom from occupation. all the causes of the war were destroyed. our compatriots enjoyed wide security, and the ground was prepared for the coming of a strong islamic government.

all government agencies have not been announced yet. deputies remain vacant. efforts are underway to fill them. efforts are being made to bring people from different regions and across the country to play a role in it. host: more on the reaction from afghans. >> we have been speaking to people on the streets of kabul for their reaction to this announcement of the interim taliban administration, and by and large, it is fair to say that the majority of them, whether they oppose the taliban or support them, there's relief. there's an opportunity, despite the pressures under this country, to prove that they are going to stick to their promises and protect human rights. most importantly for them is security and getting food on the table for their families.

we've been speaking to a number of women, as well. we know that that no women have been given portfolios in this administration. the women we spoke to said it is vital women are given the opportunity to stand in this government and any future permanent government because they say women are going to best articulate their political needs within afghan society. we understand there is great support in the south of the country around the city of kandahar. that is the birthplace of the taliban. there are some real needs that need to be addressed, the humanitarian situation is, in the words of the u.n., close to being catastrophic. about 80 million people need humanitarian assistance every day. we know half the humanitarian aid is being held up in western

banks, for example. in the eyes of the international community, the taliban have to prove themselves before those funds can begin to be released. the situation in the capital is calm, and all eyes on the administration as to whether it will stick to its words and rebuild this country. charles stratford for inside story in kabul. >> world powers have given a mixed reaction to the makeup of afghanistan's interim government. the u.s. expressed concerns about the track records of some cabinet members. the european union says the government is not inclusive and representative. china sounded similar warnings but says it will maintain communication with the new leadership. let's take a look at the

challenges facing the taliban as it appears to rule the country of 38 million people. the group inherits a nation struggling with drought and unrelenting poverty. overseas funds are frozen. it needs more than $600 million in emergency aid. basic services like electricity are under threat, and the united nations has warned that food aid will run out by the end of the month. the taliban is grappling with protests against its rule with afghans demanding respect for civil liberties. women are calling for greater representation in the new government. let's bring in our guest in couple -- kabul.

in brussels, peter is former head of mission at the dutch ministry of foreign affairs. people were waiting to see the taliban deliver on the most important promise they made when they took over, which is reaching out to all afghans to form a national unity government. that didn't happen. why? >> yesterday, their spokesperson made it explicitly clear we've found this --

[inaudible] i think they believe they can run this country from a unilateral perspective. the reality is this is the afghan political arena. what we got from them are more internal factions and divisions. the taliban say what other

countries said. it doesn't matter to us. we decide who will form the government. also, the issue of exclusivity opened up. host: people are concerned about what is happening. do you think it is because they consider themselves the victors with the upper hand in afghanistan, and they should have the ultimate right as to who should come to power? >> i think the taliban appreciate what it is going to cost of them in terms of governance. that is why the rhetoric so far has been, we will form an inclusive government. why go on with that narrative and rhetoric? what they did contradicted those

statements, and why they made the decision they made a, i think it was about maintaining internal cohesion. if they brought in someone other than the current power holders, they would've risked internal fractions, so they chose maintaining internal cohesion over creating a workable government and gaining broader domestic support. host: the internal cohesion comes first. then we go to peter. there's been a growing sense of optimism that people like the leader will be able to build bridges with the tajiks, that ?hamid karzai would reach out to different factions, and they might be able to come to the international community and say, we have a government that stands for afghanistan. where does this leave the country and taliban?

>> it's very old-school, isn't it? it is as if they start and go back where they left off 20 years ago as if nothing has changed, as if they have no further developments and have not considered what happened in the last 20 years. it is as if they go back as if nothing happens. the internal cohesion is something that concerns them. they brought back the old guys from those years in the late 90's. internal power struggles are happening in the taliban. i agree we are seeing a taliban

that would rather keep internal struggles under control then to get the country going. host: people were closely monitoring whether the taliban would have a shia ?hazara in the government. that also did not happen. do we think this is something that could strain relations with iran? >> i'm not concerned about iran. iran wants security, safety in the country, and the discipline the taliban has shown, when it comes to discipline, they could look after the security and reduction of opium culture, which is something the iranians are concerned about. i am not so worried about the iranian issues. i am more worried about the financial flows and the

potential for the influx of humanitarian assistance because of the composition of the present government. host: let's look some of the lineups of this government. the prime minister, did it come as a major surprise for the afghan people? >> i think given the reports that were coming out, given that the taliban made the choice to make him the face of the movement, but this new person is a senior member of the taliban movement. he was as close as others were. he's not like an unknown or a

relatively powerless person. he's a person who would qualify if the criteria -- he would meet that qualification. the fact that someone else was favored last-minute speaks to the internal struggle that existed. the group could not have withstood expanding its bases. it would have alienated the people it needed to get cohesion. host: people have been waiting to see if the taliban is rebranding itself. is it changing, bringing more reform into the group?

>> the west needs to tame their expectations from them, that they will not change in matters of months or even years. they are observing, and you can judge the taliban based on their actions and words. host: this is a problem. let me go to peter. you need cash to run the country.

running the country is something different. at the same time, you appoint somebody like haqqani as a minister, and he's wanted by the fbi. could this be subject to a tougher u.s. reaction? >> exactly. that is going to be the case. the other issue is there are sanctions. dealing with these people in economic, financial or military terms is going to be sanctions, so the flow of humanitarian and develop meant money into the country will be restricted because of the sanctions imposed on them by the united nations. the financial task force. it will be difficult to funnel

any humanitarian assistance into the country because of the government. host: the hardliners are there, and they have the key positions in the government. could there be an indication that we are likely to see him in the near future play a bigger role in the taliban movement. -- movement? >> the taliban have been good at keeping their discussions private. he is rumored not to be the person actually running the military commission, which was the top military in the movement.

whether it was more of a paid tribute or acknowledging the founder's role in the movement, and then allowing other military leaders to actually be in charge, i really don't know. there's evidence you can actually answer those questions. i would like to add one point to the comments made earlier. the taliban have not been held accountable on anything by the international community yet. they didn't face consequences. basically, do what you need to do, and go along with it. it's going to be much more complex, but if you were the leadership of the taliban, you would have not a lot of reasons to worry about doing what you need to do to satisfy your base.

host: right after the government was announced, ministers asked to uphold sharia. is he trying to say to people that you have to forget about any reform in the future and afghanistan today will look like afghanistan in the 90's? >> yesterday, one of the taliban's leaders declared it to the media at afghanistan is again the islamic emirate of afghanistan, but most of the leadership who've been here the last few years, i think they've seen the other side, which is

very different in the context of afghanistan. i believe that there will be a relaxation and flexibility in the reforms. host: we have a few other angles to cover. when the ministers will go to their offices, they will have to grapple with the harsh reality, which is, you have people to feed, hospitals to look after, and you have to deal with the economy that is about to collapse. do you think the international community will decide to be more realistic about afghanistan and say, let's send some cash to the afghan government? >> two opposing reflexes will meet somehow.

the sanctions regime is easy. you will be blocked from financial transactions immediately. it makes up the human experience. we cannot work with the present government in afghanistan. people will want to help. humanitarian needs need to be fulfilled. how you deal with those elements is not going to be easy because the united states and the u.n. will go according to the book,

and the book says, you cannot work financially with people who are listed. host: this will be a difficult thing for the americans and europeans. foreign aid represents something like 75% of the public spending of afghanistan. if the americans and europeans decide not to send money to the afghan government, the risk is the taliban government would go to the chinese and russians and say, we will give you more presence and influence in exchange for cash. >> that is actually a false presence. they've been sending food and mende said -- medicine so people don't die. there will be pressure to send aid. i think it is going to happen. the other is what afghanistan

needs in an economy. the u.s. was paying for the roads built in afghanistan. half a million to 100,000 people were civilians in the government and receiving funds. 300,000 salaries were being paid. will china fill in that gap? the answer is no. they provide interest late -- interest rate loans. the taliban ideologically do not accept interest. china is interested in extracting resources. that is not what afghanistan needs at the moment. it's unlikely china would commit the resources.

look at iran. host: this is going to be my last question to you. the afghans were led by the taliban, and then they try to be establishment that came after for almost two decades, which people said was disconnected from reality and responsible for the embezzlement of public funds. do you think that the afghans would like to give the taliban a second chance? briefly, if you don't mind. >> given the last two years of the government in afghanistan, i think they are not happy with that. the afghan people would certainly like to give them the chance, but the taliban have to keep in mind the fact that

society has changed a lot. now they have different demands, and they need public services. the afghan people want that, and be taliban, now that they are in power -- they will hold the taliban accountable. this is an indication o what is important for the taliban in the future. they need to realize the reality of the society and act accordingly. host: thank you. i appreciate your insight. thank you for watching the.

you can see the program at any time by visiting our website aljazeera.com. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is @ajinsidestory. for us and the entire team into a hawk, goodbye for now -- in doha, goodbye for now.

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