It was not immediately possible to confirm the reports. (file)
Highlight
- One Taliban commander said the “troublemakers” were defeated.
- Former Vice President Amarullah Saleh tweeted, “The resistance continues”
- There were reports of heavy fighting and casualties in Panjshiro.
Three Taliban sources said Islamic militias had captured the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul on Friday, the last part of Afghanistan it was up against.
A Taliban commander said, “By the grace of Almighty Allah, we are in control of the whole of Afghanistan. The firefighters have been defeated and Panjshir is now under our control.”
It was not immediately possible to confirm the reports.
Former vice-president Amrulla Saleh, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, told television station Tolo News that reports that he had fled the country were false.
And in a video clip posted on Twitter by a BBC World journalist, who said it was sent by Saleh, he said: “There is no doubt that we are in a difficult position. We are under attack by the Taliban. ..we have grabbed the land, we have protested.”
He also tweeted: “The resistance continues and will continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil and to defend its dignity.”
His son, Ibadullah Saleh, denied that Panjshir had fallen, sending the message “No, this is a liar”.
There were reports of heavy fighting and casualties in Panjshir, a rugged valley where several thousand fighters of the regional militia and remnants of the old government’s armed forces gathered under the leadership of Ahmed Masood, son of the late Mujahideen commander Ahmed Shah Masood.
The Taliban captured Kabul on 15 August after a rapid advance into Afghanistan.
new government
Earlier, Taliban sources said the group’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar would head a new Afghan government to be announced soon.
The new government’s most immediate priority may be to prevent the collapse of a drought-stricken economy and the devastation of a 20-year conflict that killed nearly 240,000 Afghans before US forces completed a turbulent pullout on August 30.
Afghanistan is facing not only a humanitarian disaster, but also threats to its security and stability from rival jihadist groups, including a local branch of the Islamic State.
Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office, will be accompanied by Mullah Mohammad Yacoub, son of the late Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai in senior positions, three sources said.
“All the top leaders have reached Kabul, where preparations to announce a new government are in the final stages,” a Taliban official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The Taliban’s supreme religious leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, will focus on religious affairs and governance within the framework of Islam, another Taliban source said.
While the Taliban have spoken of forming a consensus government, a source close to the Islamic militant movement said that the interim government now being formed will have only Taliban members.
The source said it would consist of 25 ministries along with an advisory council or shura of 12 Muslim scholars.
A loya jirga or grand gathering is also being planned within six to eight months, bringing together elders and representatives of the entire Afghan society to discuss a constitution and the structure of a future government, the source said. Is.
All sources were hopeful that the interim cabinet would be finalized soon, but there was difference of opinion on when exactly.
Western powers say they are ready to engage with the Taliban and send humanitarian aid, but the government’s formal recognition and comprehensive economic aid will depend on action – not just promises – to protect human rights.
When previously in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban imposed violent punishments and banned school and work for women and girls.
This time, the movement has tried to present a more reconciled face to the world, promising to protect human rights and avoid retaliation, although it is not yet clear what social norms it adheres to. will apply.
The United States, the European Union and others have cast doubt on its assurances. Many Afghans, especially women and those with ties to former government or Western coalition forces, now fear for their safety and even life.
rights of women
On Friday, dozens of women protested near the presidential palace, urging the Taliban to respect women’s rights and their significant gains in education and the workforce over the past two decades.
“Our demonstrations are (happening) because without the presence of women, no society will prosper. Elimination of women means eradication of human beings. If women are not present in a country, in a society, in a ministry or a cabinet, that The country or the cabinet will not succeed,” said one of the protesters, Fatima Etemadi.
Footage from the rally obtained by Reuters showed most of the women dispersing after an armed Taliban militant intervened.
Afghanistan’s 250 female judges are especially terrified of the men they jailed who have now been freed by the Taliban.
“Four or five Taliban members came and asked the people in my household: ‘Where is this lady judge?’ These were the people I put in jail,” said a judge who fled to Europe from an undisclosed location, asking not to be identified.
The legitimacy of the government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be critical to its ability to manage an economy that has relied for years on foreign aid, and is now on the verge of collapse.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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