Taliban says granting 'amnesty' across Afghanistan, after having ruled for years under Sharia law

The Taliban said Tuesday it is granting "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government  – an apparent effort to convince wary residents the military-political group will no longer rule under strict Islamic law that included persecuting females and killing detractors, according to news report.

The group from roughly 1996 to 2001 controlled roughly three-quarters of Afghanistan by enforcing a strict interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law. The Taliban swept into complete control of Afghanistan this past weekend as U.S. forces departed and the Afghan military posed no opposition to the Taliban’s return. 

The Taliban is now trying to portray itself as more moderate than when it imposed a brutal rule in the late 1990s, but many Afghans remain skeptical, according to the Associated Press.

France 24 reports the amnesty is only for Afghanistan government officials.

Older generations remember the Taliban’s ultraconservative Islamic views, which included severe restrictions on women as well as stonings, amputations and public executions before they were ousted by the U.S-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the wire service also reports.

U.S. forces remained for the next 20 years.

There were no major reports of abuses or fighting in the capital of Kabul as the Taliban now patrol its streets, but many residents have stayed home and remain fearful after the insurgents’ takeover included prisons being emptied and armories looted. 

Some Taliban leaders have said they won’t seek revenge on those who worked with the Afghan government or foreign countries. But some in Kabul allege Taliban fighters have lists of people who cooperated with the government and are seeking them out, the wire service also reports.