Afghanistan crisis: Taliban announces 'amnesty', urges women to join govt

A starkly different image played out on Tolo News, an Afghan television station: a female presenter interviewing a Taliban official

The Taliban held their first official news conference in Kabul on Tuesday since the shock seizure of the city, declaring they wanted peaceful relations with other countries and would respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law. “We don't want any internal or external enemies,” the movement's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said.

Mujahid said women would be allowed to work and study and "will be very active in society but within the framework of Islam".

The Taliban would not seek retribution against former soldiers and members of the Western-backed government, he said, saying the movement was granting an amnesty