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What does the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan mean for Indonesia?
Some of Indonesia’s grassroots Muslim groups appear to be giving the Taliban the benefit of the doubt, despite some looming concerns that their victory in Afghanistan could embolden domestic extremist groups.
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United States soldiers stand guard behind barbed wire as Afghans sit on a roadside near the military part of the airport in Kabul on Aug. 20, hoping to flee from the country after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. (AFP/Wakil Kohsar)
The government is closely monitoring developments in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s recent return to power.
In the meantime, Indonesia’s grassroots Muslim groups appear to be giving the militant group the benefit of the doubt, despite some looming concerns that the victory could embolden local extremist groups.
Last week, after the Taliban declared it was taking back control over the country after being ousted by United States-led forces 20 years ago, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was hoping for an “Afghan-owned, Afghan-led” political settlement.
“Peace and stability is no doubt what the Afghan people and the international community truly wish for,” the ministry said.
Indonesia’s initial plan had been to “continue our diplomatic mission in Kabul with a small team” but now its Afghanistan diplomatic mission has been moved to Pakistan due to an unspecified “new development”, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said on Saturday.
For their part, the Taliban promised a “positively different” regime from the one that was ousted for harboring Osama Bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack in the US.
“If the question is based on ideology and beliefs, there is no difference […] but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no doubt there are many differences,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a press conference on Tuesday, as quoted by AFP.
