'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
A spokesperson for the Taliban is adamant that reports circulating about widespread hunger and human rights violations against women in Afghanistan are not true and that the Taliban government is working to correct its perceived shortcomings on the international stage.
The Taliban took over the Afghanistan government in August 2021, after the U.S. pulled troops out of the country. Since then, reports have emerged about Afghans dying of hunger and schools closing to women and girls.
Zabihulla Mujahid recently sat down with CTV National News London Bureau Chief Paul Workman for a wide-ranging interview that touches on the Taliban’s previous conflicts with NATO, women’s issues in Afghanistan and widespread hunger in the country.
Below is a transcript of Workman’s interview with Mujahid, which has been translated from Pashto and edited for clarity:
ZM: In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful, naturally running the government is difficult. It’s not an easy task. We are trying, and putting all our strength in action to keep running every sector of the government. Until now, it’s going well. We are trying to make it better.
ZM: All those countries who came to Afghanistan under the flag or leadership of NATO, we fought them and our fight was legitimate. It was to protect our own country. I am sorry that Canadians came to our country to fight. They shouldn't have came.
ZM: I am not sorry because they were occupying forces who came here. The Canadians should have been sad and regretted their actions. Anyone who tries to invade Afghanistan will face similar consequences, so I am not apologizing.
ZM: First of all, the rumours circulating around about women being arrested are not correct. We have investigated. No women have been arrested. Secondly, whether it's male or female, when they break the law or disregard the country’s laws, they should be detained and answer questions.
ZM: I have investigated this issue. I asked the security forces to give us the information. It has not been confirmed that they were detained. I saw the video on social media.
A woman claims people have come to my house during the night. It is not true. That video was not legitimate. That woman was trying to make a case for herself by showing she is under threat and she wants to get out of here. She wants to claim asylum in some other country. The video is not verified. Of course, if someone breaks the country’s law, they will be arrested.
ZM: This has not been verified yet. This morning I asked security forces and no one has confirmed this. I am still trying to verify this.
ZM: We are trying in this regard. Two of the Islamic Emirates ministries are working on this issue. The ministry of education and the ministry of higher education. They are both working on a framework to create an atmosphere for girls going to school.
I am hopeful by next year this will be resolved.
ZM: Naturally everything is new here by the forming of the new government. In particular, the school and higher education sectors and the girls attending needs to be revisited.
The security measures to create a better atmosphere for them, and economic issues like transportation and dorms all require financial support. We are currently dealing with economic issues. Also, a procedure guideline needs to be in place. Once it’s all complete, then we will let them attend.
ZM: Yes, the work is going on to create opportunity for all. Until Grade 6, they are going to school. For older girls in some provinces, they have created the environment to attend school. Sixty to 70 per cent of girls up to Grade 12 are going to school in the provinces.
For higher education, the girls are going to private universities. The government universities have some issues with its hostels and transportation. Also, it requires procedures to be put in place as there is a huge number of people. The work is in progress and hopefully it will be completed by next year.
ZM: We are aware of this. It’s not because of recognition, that's a different subject. This is the requirement of the Afghans too. We need it for our own children's future. It's important.
ZM: First of all, no one will die of hunger Insha Allah. We have our own preparation. There is poverty due to fighting in war-torn countries. It’s normal. This poverty has been around for many years, it is not new.
For the past many years, Afghans are facing these problems. We have ways to tackle this. The international help will reach us. Also, we have government reserves we can activate during hunger and crises. Of course, poverty is a big issue, but no one will die of hunger. I assure you it won't happen.
ZM: No. This is all rumours and it’s not correct. Whoever created or circulated these rumours, it’s false. In Afghanistan, people have mercy on each other. They won’t leave others to die. The other thing is you will see more poverty in Kabul and other cities where people were depending on the government for paid salaries.
The salaries have now resumed and they will be paid in the next two months. So I reject that the people will die of hunger. The aid will reach people, government resources are there. We won't let such things happen. We will be able to control it.
ZM: Yes, they are helping, but it's not for 20 million. It's less than that. We want United Nations to extend their help, but circulating news that people will die of hunger will have a bad impact on them.
Such reports are not true. No one will die of hunger. We will address this issue. It’s the responsibility of the government. Other countries are also helping, so all of that together will stop this crisis.
ZM: We want to have a good, normal relationship with all countries. We want to restore a normal relationship with Americans too. Because they were fighting with us, we had to fight with other countries too. We want to turn the page on fighting.
We want to maintain good and strong relationships -- good diplomatic relationships -- based on mutual trust. The concerns that Americans or any other countries have, we have to address that. We are trying and we are committed to addressing their concerns.
At the same time, they need to take steps forward to maintain their relationship with us
This story previously stated that the interview was translated from Dari.
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.