A
Taliban negotiator involved in talks with the Afghan government in
Qatar has dismissed fears of violence if it takes control of Kabul.
"We assure the people that their properties, their lives are safe,"
Suhail Shaheen told the BBC in a phone call from Doha, saying that "there will be no revenge on anyone" in the Afghan capital.
He said
Taliban fighters were positioned at the gates of Kabul and had been ordered not to enter the city, pending a "
peaceful transfer of power."
Since
US and
NATO troops began withdrawing from
Afghanistan in May, the
Taliban forces have made massive territorial gains. In a rapid advance, they have now captured more than two-thirds of the country's provincial capitals and appear poised to take Kabul.
Talks are currently underway between the
Taliban and the
Afghan government.
