Will Taliban rule be different this time in Afghanistan?

Millions of Afghans who lived through the 1990s remember the Taliban’s strict rules and governing style.

But the armed group says it has changed, as it gets ready to lead the country once again.

In its first news conference since taking Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban promised to protect women’s rights, give amnesty to those who worked with foreigners and respect media freedoms.

Its leaders also said they will not let other groups use Afghanistan to launch attacks on any country.

And they’ve called on women and other minorities to join their government.

But many Afghans and world leaders are sceptical.

So, has the Taliban changed its ways?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom.

Guests:

Fahim Sadat – Head of the International Relations Department at Kardan University

Michael Semple – Practitioner chair at the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast

Omar Samad – Former Afghan ambassador to France and Canada and a former sdviser to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah