Afghans board a US Air Force evacuation plane at Kabul airport on Monday | Image credit: AP
As countries struggle to evacuate their citizens and local partners from Kabul, a gun battle outside Hamid Karzai International Airport left one behind Afghan soldier dead and three others injured on Monday. The situation in Afghanistan remains tense a week after the Taliban invaded Kabul, forcing President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country.
The fighting continues in parts of the country where local militias and disbanded Afghan forces have come together to challenge the authority of the Taliban. A spokesman for the insurgent group said Taliban fighters had encircled Panjshir province, where nearly 9,000 resistance fighters led by Ahmed Massoud have gathered to fight the Taliban.
With the meeting of the G7 heads of state and government scheduled for Tuesday, Britain, France and Germany have indicated that they could ask US President Joe Biden to do so American boots on the floor beyond August 31.
READ: Day 9 of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan | All you need to know
When asked about the possibility of such an extension, a Taliban spokesman said: August 31 deadline is a “red line” and non-observance can lead to “consequences”.
The Taliban have reportedly said that there will be no new government in Afghanistan until the last American soldier has left the country.
Taliban fighters patrol Kabul on Sunday | Credits: AP
In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Chancellor Angela Merkel on a range of topics, including recent developments in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said Prime Minister Modi had directed the MEA to brief the leaders of all political parties on the situation in Afghanistan. The central government also called an all-party get-together at 11am on August 26th to discuss the matter.
Resistance grows as the Taliban seek to legitimize their authority | Top 10 developments
1. Over 70 Indians, including one Afghan Sikhs group and Hindus were evacuated from Kabul to Dushanbe on an IAF plane on Monday. Another 146 Indian nationals returned to Delhi days after being flown from Afghanistan to Qatar on NATO aircraft. Two of these people were found positive for Covid-19. The total number of Indians evacuated from Afghanistan since August 16 is 730 as of Monday.
READ: Who are Hazara Muslims in Afghanistan and why do they fear the Taliban?
2. The White House said in a statement that it has evacuated over 35,300 people from Kabul since the end of July. The Pentagon has now roped 19 civil aircraft from United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air to carry them US citizens and Afghan partners to temporary locations outside of Afghanistan.
US Air Force aircraft evacuated from Kabul Airport on Saturday | Credits: AP
3. American President Joe Biden defended his decision Withdraw troops in a speech on Sunday. “There is no way you can evacuate so many people without pain and loss, and the heartbreaking images you see are just a fact,” Biden said. He also said US intelligence agencies are monitoring threats from terrorist organizations, including ISIS and its Afghan subsidiary ISIS-K, in Afghanistan.
4th Taliban could be recaptured three districts in Baghlan Provinces – Banu, Deh Salah and Pul e-Hesar – which were seized last week by the public resistance forces led by Khair Muhammad Andarabi. At the same time a Taliban district commander and three fighters were gunned down by resistance forces in Andarab on Monday. Another 50 Taliban fighters were killed and 20 taken hostage in the Fajr region.
Training of anti-Taliban fighters in the Panjshir Valley | Credits: AFP
5. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the group had established bases in Badakhshan, Takhar and Andarab near Panjshir. Saying that the Taliban are trying to resolve the matter “peacefully”, Mujahid also said that the Salang Highway is now open and resistance forces are “besieged” in Panjshir.
READ: The art of the deal: US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad behind the return of the Taliban
6th A video of the first Vice President of the Government of Ghani, Amrullah Saleh, playing volleyball with resistance fighters in Panjshir Valley goes viral on social media. Talibs have rallied near the entrance to Panjshir, tweeted Saleh, who claims to be the legitimate steward of Afghanistan in Ghani’s absence.
Amrullah Saleh with resistance fighters in the Panjshir valley | Credits: India Today
7th To legitimize their authority, the Taliban did appointed Haji Mohammad Idris as Deputy Director General of the Bank of Afghanistan. Idris is originally from Jowzjan and was previously head of the Taliban’s economic commission. Meanwhile, a large gathering to recruit the Taliban for Da’wah was held in the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul on Monday.
READ: The brother of the Bengali author Sushmita Banerjee tells of her murder by the Taliban in 2013
8th. On the day Iran decided to resume fuel exports to Afghanistan at the request of the Taliban, the World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 500 tons of medical supplies – including surgical equipment and kits for severe malnutrition – are destined for Afghans stuck at Kabul airport.
US and Norwegian troops at an evacuation checkpoint at Kabul airport on Friday | Credits: AP
9. Address to the Hindu Political Action Committee, US Congressman Steve Chabot, who is also co-chair of the India Caucus, said Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) played a “key role” in promoting the Taliban and its seizure of power. “It is just disgusting to see Pakistani officials celebrate the victory of this group that will bring unprecedented brutality to the Afghan people,” said Chabot.
READ: US Secretary of State Blinken confuses Ghani with Hamid Karzai in an interview slip
10. Members of the Afghan community in India demonstrated in front of the UN Human Rights Commission office on Monday (UNHRC) in New Delhiwho claim refugee status and resettlement options. A prominent voice from the Afghan community in India, Ahmad Zhia Ghani, said: “There are more than 21,000 Afghan refugees in India. There is no reason to return to Afghanistan now.”
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