UK citizen who went to Afghanistan to get married says Taliban have executed people in his street
A UK citizen stranded in Afghanistan says he has seen the Taliban execute people in his street as the militants go house to house searching for people.
Abdul Qadir Jalil, an Afghan-born Manchester resident, travelled to Afghanistan around three weeks ago to get married.
In what should be a blissful honeymoon period, Mr Jalil says the Taliban has ransacked his home in the capital, Kabul, and executed people in his street.
"Last night, the Taliban was trying to attack and search every house in the street," he told ITV News.
"They are searching for smart phones because they are trying to wipe social media evidence. Personally, I'm very scared."
What Mr Jalil says he has witnessed is in stark contrast to what the Taliban has been promising.
In a televised press conference on Tuesday, spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid promised the insurgents would secure Afghanistan, but seek no revenge against those who worked with the former government or with foreign governments or forces.
“We assure you that nobody will go to their doors to ask why they helped,” he said.
He also promised the Taliban would honour women’s rights, but within the norms of Islamic law.
However, there have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days, while others have reported the militants going door-to-door in search of people.
Following a blitz across Afghanistan that saw many cities fall to the insurgents without a fight, the Taliban has sought to portray itself as more moderate than it was 20 years ago.
But many Afghans remain skeptical. Older generations remember the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women, as well as public stonings, amputations and executions, before they were ousted by the US-led invasion following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Afghans run alongside and cling onto the side of a US military plane as it begins to take off from Kabul in a desperate attempt to leave the country
Moving from location-to-location to try to avoid the Taliban, Mr Jalil fears he will be left behind as Brits are flown out of Afghanistan.
The British defence secretary admitted on Monday that as the Taliban begins its rule over Afghanistan, the UK government will not be able to evacuate all its residents.
"Personally, I'm very scared.We don’t know about our future or what is going to happen," Mr Jalil told ITV News.
His Turkish Airlines flight to Manchester is supposed to depart next Sunday, but he's worried he won't be able to leave as the airline emailed him that the flight was cancelled.
Mr Jalil said when he has tried to phone the British Embassy in Kabul, no one responds.
The UK Foreign Office has suspended most of its operations there and has moved to an undisclosed site.
"It's a very horrible situation for foreign citizens here . We request the British government to help us and take us from here. We desperately need help," Mr Jalil said.
In a statement posted on its site, the Foreign Office said: "We recognise that commercial flights are not currently operating.
"We will contact British nationals who we are in touch with, with information of any flights we become aware of. If you are safely able to leave Afghanistan by other means, you should do so immediately.".