Taliban Bans Members From Wearing Uniforms And Wearing Guns In Amusement Parks

Illustration of the Taliban. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA)

JAKARTA - Taliban members will no longer be allowed to carry their weapons at amusement parks in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the group said Wednesday, in what appears to be another attempt by the country's new rulers to soften their image.

Taliban fighters, many of whom have spent most of their lives in the 20-year insurgency against the United States-backed government, flocked to theme parks in Afghanistan's cities and towns after they took over in August.

"Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are not allowed to enter the amusement park with weapons, military uniforms and vehicles," the Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter, citing Reuters February 2.

"(They) are obliged to comply with all the rules and regulations of the amusement park," said Zabihullah.

The Taliban have earned a reputation as uncompromising, often brutal, rule enforcers from their strict ways when they last ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001.

But since taking over in August, they have tried to put a more moderate face on their fellow Afghans and the wider world, as the interim cabinet grapples with a looming humanitarian crisis.

To note, the special attraction for Taliban fighters is one of the largest amusement parks in Kabul and the waterfront park in the Qargha reservoir, on the western outskirts of the city.

Carrying automatic rifles, Taliban fighters queue to board the two rides available here, namely the merry-go-round and the pirate ship, making ordinary visitors look nervous.

Most of the fighters who spoke to Reuters at the time had not been to Kabul until the Taliban took control of the capital on August 15, and some wanted to visit amusement parks before returning to duty across the country.