[ti:Kabul’s Mayor Keeps City Running after Taliban Takeover] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Mohammad Daoud Sultanzoy [00:03.48]is the mayor of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. [00:10.08]The Taliban has taken control of the city [00:13.96]but has kept him in office. [00:18.40]The mayor has some words of advice for the militant group. [00:25.32]Sultanzoy spoke with VOA's Afghanistan Branch on Monday. [00:32.28]He said if the Taliban [00:34.60]does not listen to the people’s interests and dreams [00:38.84]“they, too, will be seen” as a group that advanced [00:44.24]religious, ethnic and regional interests. [00:49.32]"And their reputation will be damaged." [00:54.52]Sultanzoy is a well-known politician [00:58.72]with no connections to the Taliban. [01:03.20]He was among a few senior officials [01:06.72]who were permitted to keep their jobs [01:09.60]after the Taliban took power in Kabul on August 15. [01:16.60]Most other leaders resigned or fled the country. [01:23.08]Sultanzoy said the Taliban called him the day after entering Kabul, [01:28.80]home to about 5 million people. [01:33.32]The Taliban asked him to continue to do his job. [01:39.32]"So I went to work," he said. "Until I'm told otherwise, [01:45.08]I'll continue to work. This is my country. [01:50.20]I don't work for any individual or group. [01:54.12]I serve my city's residents. I'm from Kabul, and I'll live in Kabul." [02:03.92]Sultanzoy is a pilot by training. [02:07.64]He served in the Afghan parliament from 2005 to 2010 [02:15.20]and ran for president in 2014. [02:21.16]He lost the 2014 election to Ashraf Ghani, [02:25.84]who later named Sultanzoy a top adviser. [02:31.16]Ghani later put him in charge of the capital in March 2020. [02:39.24]Like many other former Ghani allies, Sultanzoy [02:44.20]criticized the former president for fleeing the country. [02:49.24]Ghani did not tell members of his own government. [02:53.20]"As members of the cabinet, [02:56.64]we should have been informed," Sultanzoy said. [03:00.16]"At least we should have had a meeting." [03:04.68]In an August 18 video message from the United Arab Emirates, [03:10.44]where he is now living, Ghani defended his decision. [03:16.36]He said he was "forced to leave" Afghanistan to avoid more violence. [03:24.48]Much of the world’s attention is on the evacuation of [03:28.96]thousands of Americans and Afghans from Kabul. [03:34.28]Afghanistan still lacks a new national government. [03:40.04]But city officials have continued [03:43.16]to provide basic services, Sultanzoy said. [03:49.04]He said efforts had already started to remove barriers [03:54.16]on streets and sidewalks. [03:57.56]"Once security is restored, [04:00.28]all these barriers should be removed," he added. [04:07.28]Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid [04:11.64]spoke to reporters in Kabul on Tuesday. [04:16.84]He said the city has also restarted collecting waste. [04:23.76]But there are problems. [04:26.20]With the lack of security, [04:28.80]some city residents have started [04:31.52]building illegal housing at night, Sultanzoy said. [04:37.96]The Taliban has not yet formed a new government. [04:42.72]But they have started hiring new police officers [04:46.68]after thousands resigned their jobs [04:50.12]after the militants captured the city, Sultanzoy said. [04:56.00]And Mujahid said the former head of Kabul's traffic police [05:01.96]has been renamed to his position. [05:06.84]"Kabul has a city government. [05:09.80]This government should be allowed to function," Sultanzoy said. [05:15.08]"That's why I didn't quit my job, because if I had quit my job, [05:20.88]it would have been very irresponsible. [05:24.84]It would have been an act of treason." [05:28.08]I’m Dan Novak.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM