Reporter Grills Taliban Spokesman in Fraught Interview: ‘There Are Very Few Choices’ in Afghanistan, ‘It’s Either Surrender or be Killed’

The Australian edition of 60 Minutes aired a fraught interview on Sunday between a reporter and a spokesperson for the Taliban.

Co-host Sarah Abo pushed back on points Suhail Shaheen made about the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

“Listening to their official spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, you would think Kabul was in the midst of celebrations,” narrated Abo.

“If there was not the support of the people of Afghanistan, we would not have been able to put an end to the occupation,” Shaheen told Abo. “They supported us with their sons and also they supported us with their money.”

“You expect the rest of the world to believe that the Taliban has swept to power off the back of the support of the Afghan people,” asked Abo.

“Yes, yes,” replied Shaheen. “That’s true.”

“It’s not true,” refuted Abo.

Shaheen argued, “If it was not the support of the people, how we can fight 54 countries of the world? Is it possible?”

“You’ve swept to power in Afghanistan because of the brutality and the barbarity of your regime, because you’ve swept through regions across the country killing people,” said Abo.

“No, no, no” said Shaheen.

“There are very few choices in that country. It’s either surrender or be killed,” said Abo as Shaheen kept saying “no.”

“No, no, you are, you are speaking the narrative of our opponents like their spokesman,” said Shaheen.

“We’re hearing about people being targeted, being executed. Afghans who with the allies who are being killed on the streets,” said Abo while Shaheen said “no, no” when the former began making her point about the Taliban killing Afghans who helped the United States and their allies in Afghanistan during the almost-20-year war following 9/11.

“The Taliban is going door to door and finding these people and killing them,” said Abo. “What about these reports?”

Shaheen got defensive and said, “They are lying all the day and night to the Western media and the Western people in order to mislead the opinion of the world against us.”

Abo asked if the Taliban views women equally.

“Yeah, well, of course,” said Shaheen. “In their own way, on the basis of the Islamic rules, they have all the rights. All their basic rights.”

However, contrary to Shaheen’s assertion, the Taliban has oppressed women and reportedly has been seeking women to be sex slaves.

Later on in the segment, Abo asked Shaheen, “Can you guarantee that those Afghans who assisted Allied forces will be safe under your leadership?”

“Yes,” replied Shaheen. “The guarantee is our official statement. We actually announced that their life, dignity, properties are safe. This, I think, is the best guaranteeing commitment.”

The segment moves to frightening images of Taliban fighters in Kabul and Afghans at Kabul airport trying to get onto planes – the latter of which, narrated Abo, “are an indication of the panic among those who helped Allies forces.”

“The people of Kabul would prefer to fall from the wings of a plane than stay in Afghanistan ruled by the Taliban,” Abo told Shaheen as the footage of a U.S. military plane that two Afghans tried to hold onto but fell off of while in the air plays.

“Is that not evidence to you that your own people are fearful of the Taliban,” Abo asked Shaheen, who repeatedly said “no” while she posed the question and after she asked it.

“What are they running away from,” asked Abo.

“This was a conspiracy,” said Shaheen. “The aim behind that was to show to the world that the people are terrified and scared from Taliban.”

Watch above, via Channel9.