Taliban claims it now controls whole of Afghanistan 'after taking Panjshir province' - Sky News

The Taliban is claiming it now controls the whole of Afghanistan after taking complete control of Panjshir province, the last area in Afghanistan being held by resistance forces.

A spokesman for the group, Zabihullah Mujahid, issued a statement saying the area had been "completely conquered" and a "number of people" were killed while the "rest fled".

The opposition group, National Resistance Front (NRF), has said the "Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false".

Image: Taliban fighters outside the governor's office in the Annaba district of Panjshir

It added: "The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.

"We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails."

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Speaking at a news conference, Mr Mujahid also claimed there have been no civilian casualties in the takeover of Panjshir, despite claims that members of the NRF have been killed.

The Taliban added that electricity and internet will resume in Panjshir "from today" and efforts to restart international flights from Kabul will now begin.

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Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir province overnight, according to witnesses in the area speaking on condition of anonymity.

Panjshir was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep last month.

The deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said the group has "taken control of the most important areas in Panjshir", and are carrying out "operations in a manner that local people are not harmed".

Image: Ahmadullah Wasiq said Taliban fighters are operating to ensure 'local people are not harmed'

He added: "We are performing operations in a tactical manner to force the resistance movement to vacate the area. As per our information, Panjshir will come under Islamic Emirate very soon.

"The resistance movement is trying to provide hope to the very few people and encourage them to fight through such claims against us, aiming for their financial gains and to hold on to their power.

"But I don't think they would be able to fulfil their desires. As Panjshir is a province of Afghanistan, it should also come under the regime."

The group also sought to assure residents that they would be safe, saying in its statement: "We give full confidence to the honourable people of Panjshir that they will not be subjected to any discrimination, that all are our brothers, and that we will serve a country and a common goal."

In the UK, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told Sky News that the government had been "hearing that" the Taliban had gained control of Panjshir, but added that "given there is now no UK military presence in the country it is hard to verify that independently."

He said: "I don't think the situation in Panjshir, whatever it is, really changes our calculus. From the moment Kabul fell, the Taliban were effectively the government of Afghanistan with whom we needed to work with, in the immediate term, in order to facilitate the evacuation of UK nationals and other people who were entitled to come to the UK.

"That doesn't mean we recognise the Taliban and if this is correct, that they have been successful in Panjshir overnight, that doesn't change anything in terms of our willingness to recognise them.

"It will be their actions in government, not their military prowess that determines when and how they are recognised in the international community".

The Taliban seized control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on 15 August after the western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

The anti-Taliban fighters had been led by the former vice president and the son of the anti-Taliban fighter, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed just days before the September 11 attacks in the United States.

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Massoud's son, Ahmad, had issued a statement Sunday, calling for an end to the fighting that had been blistering in recent days.

He said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault.

However, late on Sunday, dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into Panjshir Valley.

The group later said, on Twitter, that its forces had overrun Rokha district, one of the largest of eight districts in the province.

Several Taliban delegations have attempted negotiations with the holdouts there but talks have failed to gain any traction.

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2021-09-06 05:20:48Z
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Shark kills surfer in attack at Shelly Beach, near Coffs Harbour, 330 miles north of Sydney - The Times

A surfer who shouted for help during a shark attack died after being pulled out of the water by beachgoers.

The man lost an arm in the attack north of Sydney yesterday and died shortly after ambulance services arrived. Last year was the deadliest since 1929 for shark attacks in Australia, with eight people killed.

One witness said: “I was out in the surf and I heard screaming. I paddled further out to the water and saw a man without an arm, there was lots of blood.

“He was shouting ‘Help me, help me’. People were trying to get him out to shore, it didn’t look good.

“I thought to myself then, this is probably fatal. A couple of guys on the beach started CPR

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2021-09-05 23:01:00Z
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Panjshir resistance leader says ready for talks with Taliban - Al Jazeera English

The leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban forces in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul has said he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

Ahmad Massoud, head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), made the announcement on the group’s Facebook page on Sunday. Earlier, Taliban forces said they had fought their way into the provincial capital of Panjshir after securing the surrounding districts.

The Taliban took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

“The NRF in principle agree to solve the current problems and put an immediate end to the fighting and continue negotiations,” Massoud said in the Facebook post.

“To reach a lasting peace, the NRF is ready to stop fighting on condition that Taliban also stop their attacks and military movements on Panjshir and Andarab,” he said, referring to a district in the neighbouring province of Baghlan.

A large gathering of all sides with the Ulema council of religious scholars could then be held, he said.

Earlier, Afghan media outlets reported that religious scholars had called on the Taliban to accept a negotiated settlement to end the fighting in Panjshir.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban.

NRF spokesman Fahim Dashti said on Sunday that “heavy clashes” were under way in Panjshir Valley.

According to the NRF, it surrounded “thousands of terrorists” in Khawak Pass and the Taliban abandoned vehicles and equipment in the Dashte Rewak area.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from the capital, Kabul, said sources on the ground said hundreds of Taliban fighters had been taken prisoner on Sunday.

“Sources within the valley are saying the NRF are claiming to have captured about 1,500 Taliban. Apparently, these fighters were surrounded,” said Stratford.

“There are growing fears about the estimated 150,000 – 200,000 people inside the valley. All communication has been cut off. We also know that the Taliban have cut the electricity as well, so it is very difficult to get independent verification of exactly what is going on.”

However, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said that their forces had fought their way into the provincial capital, Bazarak, and had captured large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Karimi said on Twitter opposition forces had suffered numerous casualties.

Massoud, who leads a force made up of remnants of regular Afghan army and special forces units as well as local militia fighters, called for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban before the fighting broke out about a week ago.

Several attempts at talks were held but they eventually broke down, with each side blaming the other for their failure.

Rugged Valley

Panjshir, a rugged valley in the mountains north of Kabul that is still littered with the wreckage of Soviet tanks destroyed during the long war in the 1980s to remove the Soviet presence, has proved very difficult to overcome in the past.

Under Massoud’s late father, Ahmad Shah Massoud, the region long resisted control by both the invading Soviet army and by the Taliban government that previously ruled from 1996 to 2001.

But that effort was helped by supply routes leading north to the border, which were closed off by the Taliban’s sweeping victory last month.

The Panjshir fighting has been the most prominent example of resistance to the Taliban. But small individual protests for women’s rights or in defence of the green, red and black tricolour flag of Afghanistan have also been held in different cities.

Planes stranded

Meanwhile, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said on Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why they were unable to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

The top Republican on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively “holding them hostage”. Michael McCaul did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

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2021-09-05 20:31:51Z
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In pictures: Taliban paints over Kabul’s colourful blast walls - Al Jazeera English

Kabul – For years, Kabul’s forboding concrete blast walls were adorned with images decrying corruption, dedications to fallen journalists, portraits of iconic musicians and pop art depictions of children transporting hearts in place of buckets of water.

Over the last four days though, those images have been whitewashed as the Taliban slowly paints over each one with textual messages of national unity, praise for the mujahideen, as they refer to their forces, and declarations of triumph against the 20-year US occupation of Afghanistan.

Bright, colourful images have been replaced with austere black-and-white text, saying the Taliban “are your brothers and sons, they are the protectors of this land and people”.

To Afghans who lived through it, this phenomenon harkens back to the Taliban’s original rule from 1996 to 2001 when the group banned images of people and animals.

Jawed, who would only give his first name for security reasons, is one of the artists who have been commissioned by the Taliban to paint over the portraits of a member of the nation’s Sikh community who was killed in a 2018 bombing and Tetsu Nakamura, the Japanese doctor who had worked for decades in the eastern province of Nangarhar and was killed in 2019.

“These people don’t know anything, not even art. They tell us things like, ‘The letters should be as big as me,'” the 20-something says while constantly looking behind him to make sure no Taliban are lurking in the background. “Who does that?” he added.

The international relations student says painting over the images goes against everything he believes in. However, Jawed says the current state of the nation’s economy is forcing him to take part in what he says amounts to a literal cover-up of progress and advancement.

“They want us to go back to 20 years ago, when they kept us under a cage,” he said.

Since the Taliban seized power on August 15 and former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, Afghanistan’s economy has been dealt several blows. Initially, banks were shut for more than a week. When they reopened, hundreds of people lined up outside the financial institutions desperate to regain access to cash. Many government and private offices also remain closed, leaving millions without an income.

“Can you believe we do all this for 600 Afghanis ($6.95 USD) a day?” Jawed said.

Prior to the Taliban’s arrival, he said he could earn 10 times as much each day through painting and other work. But now those income sources have dried up as business all over the city has suffered from people’s inability to obtain physical money and due to the number of offices and businesses that have yet to resume operations.

The most common criticism of those structures was that they were built to protect the rich and powerful – government buildings, wealthy businessmen, warlords, MPs, former government officials – and created new traffic bottlenecks in already overcrowded capitals across Afghanistan.

Regardless of what is on them, blast walls have long been a point of disdain in Afghanistan. In 2017, the government of former President Ashraf Ghani started to remove some blast walls, however many of them went back up soon afterwards. In late August, a week after taking power, the Taliban joined with then Mayor of Kabul, Daoud Sultanzoy, to begin removing blast walls and concrete barriers.

“These walls had created a choking environment for the people of Kabul because they blocked streets,” Sultanzoy said of the thousands of 3.7-metre (12-foot) high, steel-reinforced behemoths that have taken over much of the streets of Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad and Kandahar at the time.

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2021-09-05 20:21:54Z
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Guinea: Soldiers claim to have seized power and dissolved government as president 'detained' - Sky News

Soldiers in Guinea claim they have dissolved the government of President Alpha Conde and its constitution, as well as closed all land and air borders.

The announcement on state television comes after hours of gunfire around the presidential palace in the capital Conakry, sparking fears of a coup attempt.

But the defence ministry said an attack on the complex had been repelled.

Image: An unverified video claimed to show President Alpha Conde detained by army special forces

The uprising in Guinea was believed to have been carried out by an elite national army unit led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, a former French legionnaire.

He appeared on TV, surrounded by other armed soldiers, and said his supporters planned to form a transitional government.

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"We have dissolved government and institutions," he said. "We call our brothers in arms to join the people."

He added: "The personalisation of political life is over. We will no longer entrust politics to one man, we will entrust it to the people."

More on Guinea

Unverified videos shared on social media showed President Conde apparently detained by army special forces but his whereabouts were not known.

Mr Conde's popularity has plummeted since he won a third term last October after changing the constitution to allow him to stand again, despite violent protests from the opposition which claimed dozens were killed.

Image: President Alpha Conde pictured in August 2019

The government has increased taxes in recent weeks and the price of fuel has risen by 20%, causing frustration among many Guineans.

Col Doumbouya said he was acting in the best interests of the West African nation which has a population of more than 12.7 million.

He claimed not enough economic progress has been made since independence from France in 1958.

Image: An army vehicle is seen in the Kaloum area of Conakry, Guinea

Guinea was governed by a number of autocratic rulers after 1958 until Mr Conde came to power in 2010 in the country's first democratic election.

Many saw his presidency as a fresh start for the nation, which has been mired in decades of corrupt rule.

His opponents say he has failed to improve the lives of Guineans, with most living in poverty despite its vast mineral riches.

As the defence ministry said security forces loyal to Mr Conde had repelled the palace attack and were restoring order, people celebrated the uprising's apparent success on the streets.

A witness saw trucks and military vehicles along with motorcyclists and cheering onlookers.

"Guinea is free! Bravo," one woman shouted from her balcony.

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2021-09-05 19:07:16Z
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Planes stranded at Mazar-i-Sharif airport waiting to leave - BBC News

EPA

A US lawmaker has accused the Taliban of stopping Afghans and Americans from leaving Afghanistan via Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport.

Republican House member Michael McCaul said on Sunday that planes had been trying to leave the airport "for the last couple of days".

An NGO confirmed to the BBC that it had people waiting to board one of the flights.

The Taliban has denied the claims, labelling them as propaganda.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the BBC: "This is not true. Our Mujahideen have nothing to do with ordinary Afghans. This is propaganda and we reject it."

Mr McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News there were six planes carrying American citizens and Afghan interpreters waiting at the airport.

"[The State Department] has cleared these flights and the Taliban will not let them leave the airport," he said.

The Texas representative added: "We know the reason why is because the Taliban want something in exchange."

In an email to members of Congress seen by CBS News, the State Department acknowledged there were charter flights at Mazar-i-Sharif that the Taliban will not allow to fly until they have approved the departure.

Marina LeGree, founder and CEO of the NGO Ascend Athletics which works with Afghan girls and women, told the BBC that the number of planes could be higher than six, saying she has heard there could be as many as 1,000 people waiting to get out.

Her organisation has a group of 34 people who have been waiting to leave for six days, among them 19 Americans and two green card holders.

They are part of a larger organised evacuation under the auspices of the US government.

Ms LeGree said she believed a dispute or negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan airline Kam Air was holding up the flights.

"We're just patiently waiting like everyone else and we've got people with families, there's a three-year-old in our mix who has been hauled around for a week now," she said.

She added that the Taliban had come into the place where people were being held and arrested people a couple of times.

"It's just a worrying situation overall," she said.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the State Department said the concern felt was understood, but added: "We do not have personnel on the ground, we do not have air assets in the country, we do not control the airspace - whether over Afghanistan or elsewhere in the region."

The US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan last week after 20 years in the country. More than 120,000 US citizens, allies and Afghan citizens were evacuated from Kabul airport.

As a result of the withdrawal, the State Department said it did not have to the means to confirm details of the flight or those waiting to board.do

However, "we will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan," the spokesperson said.

• ANALYSIS: What rise of Taliban means for Pakistan
• BACKGROUND: The story of Afghanistan's 'undefeated' valley
• ON THE GROUND: In Kabul, Afghans adjust to a new, uncertain fate
• VOICES: Kabul make-up artist: 'Women like me are targets'

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2021-09-05 19:51:07Z
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Morocco trapped in Guinea as qualifier postponed by apparent coup - BBC Sport

Morocco's national team is trapped in Guinea, where they were set to play a World Cup qualifier on Monday, after an attempted coup took place in the capital Conakry on Sunday.

Soldiers appeared on national TV claiming to have dissolved the government, although the defence ministry said the attempted takeover had been thwarted by the presidential guard.

The fate of Guinea's President Alpha Condé is unclear after an unverified video showed him surrounded by soldiers, after hours of heavy gunfire near the presidential palace.

Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic told L'Equipe in France that he had gunfire 'nearly all day' and that some of his players were worried.

The Moroccan team is captained by Wolves defender Roman Saiss and also includes QPR striker Ilias Chair and Watford duo Adam Masina and Imran Louza.

Guinean journalist Cellou Diallo has told BBC Sport Africa that Morocco are awaiting clearance from their embassy to travel to the airport.

The Moroccan federation's plane is ready to evacuate the players as soon as the embassy can come to a solution with local authorities regarding safe passage of the players to the airport, a Moroccan journalist has told the BBC.

Both global body Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) have released a joint statement regarding the game.

"The current political and security situation in Guinea is quite volatile and is being closely monitored by Fifa and Caf," it read.

"To ensure the safety and security of all players and to protect all match officials, Fifa and Caf have decided to postpone the qualifying match."

Sunday's matches

On the pitch itself, Namibia produced an upset in Group H when winning 1-0 in Togo.

Elmo Kambindu scored a spectacular overhead kick in the second half, with the goal allowed to stand despite television replays suggesting the forward was offside.

After gaining a point against Congo on Wednesday, the Namibians go top of the group but Senegal - who beat Togo in their opener - can move clear with victory in Brazzaville on Tuesday.

Earlier, Rwanda were held to a 1-1 draw by Kenya with Michael Olunga's 9th-minute goal cancelled out shortly after by Abdul Rwatubyaye.

On Sunday evening, Gabon - beaten 2-1 in Libya on Friday - host an Egypt side set to feature Mohamed Salah, who missed the opening win against Angola because of Covid-related travel complications.

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2021-09-05 18:22:39Z
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