Stringer/Reuters
- Taliban fighters are struggling to adjust to new roles that don't involve violence.
- Fighters are now running simple security in Kabul, The Washington Post reported.
- Some are worried the new roles diminish their opportunity for "martyrdom."
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Taliban fighters are struggling to adjust to their new roles maintaining security now that the group has regained control of Afghanistan after being ousted 20 years ago, The Washington Post reported.
Fighters that were trained to be things like suicide bombers are now running security in Kabul. Commander Abdulrahman Nifiz told the Post the 250 fighters under his control are not used to the lack of fighting.
"All of my men, they love jihad and fighting," he said. "So when they came to Kabul they didn't feel comfortable. There isn't any fighting here anymore."
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 with a strict interpretation and adherence to Islamic law before being driven out by US-led forces.
The group took control of Kabul again on August 15 as the US began its withdrawal from the country.
Fighters spent the past 20 years waging battles against the US and foreign forces as well as Afghans who supported western efforts in the country.
The Post reported that many Taliban members believe they were fighting a war that would allow them a "clear path to paradise in the afterlife," as they battle against people they deemed infidels.
"Many of my fighters are worried that they missed their chance at martyrdom in the war," Nifiz told the Post. "I tell them they need to relax. They still have a chance to become martyrs. But this adjustment will take time."
The group has said it would rule more leniently than it did in the 1990s, but critics have been skeptical, especially as the group closed the women's ministry and repurposed the building for the ministry of virtue and vice and ordered working women in Kabul to stay at home.
There have been several instances of violence erupting between Taliban forces and citizens, including earlier this month when the Taliban fired into the air to disperse protests by Afghan women demanding equal rights.
Officials brushed off the violence, saying the fighters weren't trained to deal with protests. Nifiz told the Post he and his men are working on using less force.
"Before, I was not as careful when I took prisoners, but now I want to behave better with them," he said, before saying he couldn't discuss if he was referring to torturing detainees.
