The Taliban’s Eastern Military Commission has banned former military, police and IS* members, as well as those who do not wear beards, from joining the movement
A statement issued by the Nangarhar provincial governor’s office stated this.
The statement directs commanders to exclude these categories from Taliban forces. It also noted that Taliban fighters* were prohibited from wearing black eyeglasses and from covering their faces.
In early August, the Taliban intensified its offensive against government forces in Afghanistan.
The Taliban entered the capital and took control of the presidential palace on 15 August and declared on 16 August that the war in Afghanistan was over and the form of government in the state would be clarified soon. On the night of 31 August, the US military withdrew from Kabul airport, ending the US military presence in Afghanistan.