Recognise and give us money, not guns: Taliban to global leaders

Kabul: Afghanistan which has been warned about an impending economic collapse after the takeover of the country by the Taliban, has urged global leaders to help it build the war-torn country by recognising the Taliban as the legitimate authority.

Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi opened up its willingness to cooperate with any country, including the US for the prosperity of the country with a condition that no one should exert its power on Afghanistan, which had been in a 20 year-long war with invaders.

Muttaqi, however, called out the US treatment to Afghanistan after the Taliban came at the helm that the latter is said to have been in the forefront to influence the international community to stop the financial assistance the country had received.

The US Federal Reserve, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank had stopped Afghanistan's access to the funds since the Taliban assumed power, leading to a widespread liquidity crunch in the cash-dependent economy.

Al Jazeera quoted Muttaqi as saying that despite its cooperation and the assistance in evacuating its men from Afghanistan, the US showed their back on the Taliban by freezing its assets abroad.

However, Muttaqi had was grateful to the international community that pledged an emergency financial aid of more than $1bn for Afghanistan at a UN donor conference.

Amid the country's near-collapsed grim situation and urging the international community to do their best to assist, the UN chief Antonio Guterres said that humanitarian assistance to desperate Afghan people could be provided which would be possible only by engaging with the Taliban.

Muttaqi urged countries around the world to open formal relations with the Taliban-led government, citing the end to the war in the country. Muttaqi also said the government would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for armed groups to launch attacks on other countries.

Meanwhile, Talib Mawlawi, the new Taliban governor in Helmand and the one who was the commander fighting the British in Sangin, said as a message to the British that the fighting time is over and now the time is to understand each other.

He urged the British and Nato to recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate leaders and then come back, but with money, not guns.