Taliban forces and fighters loyal to local leader Ahmed Masood fought in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley on Thursday, more than two weeks after Islamist militias seized power in the capital Kabul as Taliban leaders worked to form a government.
Panjshir is the last province to oppose Taliban rule, who took back control of the country after 20 years of conflict following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States as US and foreign troops.
Each side said it inflicted heavy casualties.
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“We launched the operation after talks with the local armed group failed,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Taliban fighters entered Panjshiro And took control of some area, he said. “He (the enemy) suffered heavy losses.”
a spokesperson for National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) rebel group Said that it has complete control over all passes and entrances and has pushed back efforts to take Shotul district.
Referring to a town in neighboring Parwan province, he said, “The enemy made several attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, and each time failed.”
Since Taliban entered Kabul on August 15, several thousand fighters of local militia And the remains of the government’s armed forces have accumulated here in Panjshir, led by Masood, the son of a former Mujahideen commander.
They are staying in a steep valley where attacks from outside are difficult.
Attempts to negotiate a settlement appear to have failed, with each side blaming the other for the failure.
Mujahid said there were only a few days left for the new government to be announced, while Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaki said a ceremony was being held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
human catastrophe
The legitimacy of the government will be crucial to the economy in the eyes of international donors and investors as the country grapples with drought and the devastation of a conflict that killed an estimated 240,000 Afghans.
Humanitarian organizations have warned of impending catastrophe and the economy – dependent for years on multimillion-dollar foreign aid – is on the verge of collapse.
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Aid agencies say many Afghans were struggling to feed their families before Taliban militants came to power, and millions were now starving and the economy was crumbling.
“Since August 15, we have seen the crisis intensify and escalate with the imminent economic collapse coming this country’s way,” Mary-Ellen McGarty, country director of the World Food Program in Afghanistan, told Reuters from Kabul.
In a positive development, a senior executive at the Western Union company said it was resuming money-transfer services to Afghanistan – a decision he said came under US pressure to allow humanitarian activity there. was consistent.
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Jean-Claude Farah, President of Western Union, said, “Most of our businesses in Afghanistan are low-value households and remittances that support the basic needs of the people there, so that’s what we have in place and we want to grow our business. want to reopen.” Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Western Union and MoneyGram International Inc suspended services here in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured Kabul.
Recognition
The Taliban implemented a radical form of Sharia, or Islamic law, when they ruled from 1996–2001, but this time tried to present a more liberal face to the world, protecting human rights and avoiding retaliation against old enemies. promised.
The United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying that formal recognition of the new government – and the funding it provides – depends on action.
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that Germany was ready to resume diplomatic presence in Kabul if the Taliban met certain conditions.
“We want to see an inclusive government (in Kabul), respect for fundamental human and women’s rights – and Afghanistan should not again become a breeding ground for international terrorism,” Maas told reporters in Slovenia. Afghanistan.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Le Figaro newspaper that Paris had not yet received positive signs that the group had changed.
A source with direct knowledge of the move said Afghan diplomats have been asked to stay in foreign positions for the time being. The source said the Taliban wanted to maintain a sense of continuity.
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The Taliban have promised a safe exit from the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the massive airlift that ended on Monday after US troops withdrew. But the Kabul airport is still closed, with many people trying to escape by land.
Thousands of Afghans here – some of whom have no documents or have pending US visa applications, others in families with mixed immigration status – are also waiting in “transit hubs” in third countries after a chaotic scramble to evacuate.