Afghanistan News Highlights: China hints at providing financial aid to a future Taliban-controlled govt

Taliban's spokesperson has claimed its fighters are deployed near Panjshir province and are trying to resolve the issue peacefully. The Taliban also said that they will not accept an extension of August 31 deadline for western forces to leave the country. Floor Leaders of Political Parties would be briefed by EAM S Jaishankar on the situation in Afghanistan, on August 26, 11 am. Stay tuned for updates.

Canada's Trudeau leaves door open to Taliban sanctions as G7 meet looms

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau left the door open to sanctions on the Taliban Monday, noting that the Islamist group that now controls Afghanistan remains a "terrorist entity."

"Canada already recognizes, and has for long, that the Taliban are terrorists, and harbor terrorists. That's why they're on the terrorist list. So, yes, we can talk about sanctions," Trudeau told reporters.

New flight carrying at-risk Afghans arriving to US later on Monday: Official

A new flight carrying evacuated at-risk Afghans will be arriving to the United States later on Monday from Ramstein air base in Germany, a senior State Department official said, and added that the pace of flights from transit hubs temporarily housing those evacuated from Kabul will ramp up.

16,000 evacuated from Kabul airport in past 24 hours: Pentagon

Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours from Afghanistan through the Kabul airport, the Pentagon said Monday, as international airlift operations sped up ahead of an August 31 deadline.

Spokesman John Kirby said that took the number of people reolcated from Afghanistan since July to 42,000, and 37,000 since the intense airlift operations started on August 14 as the Taliban moved to take Kabul.

Taliban say they have retaken three northern districts seized by Afghan militias

China hints at providing financial aid to Taliban controlled Afghanistan

China on Monday hinted at stepping up financial assistance to the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, saying it will play a “positive role” in helping the war-ravaged country amid global pushback to stop funding to Kabul until the Afghan militant group modified its hardline religious policies.

In his media briefing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hit out at the US saying it is "main perpetrator" for the Afghan crisis and Washington cannot leave without doing anything for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

WHO says medical aid to Afghanistan stranded in Dubai due to Kabul airport issues, NATO partners say "they do not feel able to help" .

Taliban name acting head of central bank as economic turmoil grows

The Taliban have appointed an acting head of the Afghanistan central bank to help ease growing economic turmoil, more than a week after the Islamist movement seized the capital Kabul, a statement said on Monday.

Haji Mohammad Idris was named as acting governor of the central bank to help bring order to a war-crippled economy, which has been adrift for more than a week with banks closed and many government offices empty.

He was expected to help organise institutions and address the economic issues facing the population, a statement from Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Will attend all-party meet on Afghanistan crisis: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that representatives of the ruling TMC in the state would be attending the all-party meeting called by the Centre to discuss the Afghanistan crisis. The Centre has called for an all-party meeting on August 26 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, following the Taliban takeover. "We will definitely be attending Thursday’s all-party meeting on Afghanistan, called by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)," the TMC supremo told reporters at the state secretariat.

Taliban warn of 'consequences' if Afghan pullout extended

The Taliban will not agree to an extension of the August 31 deadline for the United States to withdraw troops and a delay will bring consequences, a spokesman told Sky News.

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No new government until last US soldier leaves Afghanistan, say Taliban

No reports of killing in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan, says Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. He added that people are thirsty for economic development and said that the country will become self-reliant.

Taliban spokesman warns of 'consequences' if troops withdrawal extended.

Taliban say Afghan resistance force 'besieged', but seek talks

The Taliban said Monday their fighters had surrounded resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley but were looking to negotiate rather than take the fight to them.

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Haji Mohammad Idris has been appointed as the Acting Governor of Afghanistan Bank by the leadership of the Islamic Emirate for the purpose of organizing government institutions and banking issues and addressing the problems of the people, says Taliban spokesman Mujahid.

Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar, to brief Parliament floor leaders on Afghanistan situation on August 26.

The justice system operated by the Taliban, by contrast, is likely to wilfully violate the constitutional and international protections that are in place to support women.

While the situation in Afghanistan has been difficult for women over the past two decades, there was at least a shift in the right direction and support for change among many important people.

With the international community in retreat, there will be no one to stop the new regime from dismantling these protections. It took significant political pressure to push ahead with what reforms have taken place. That will now disappear altogether.

One major concern is the future of the many women’s rights organisations and other civil society groups that have been operating in Afghanistan until now. International charities and foreign embassies have supported their work on the ground but are now leaving them vulnerable.

The Afghan legal system is highly complex. It is based on religious values, custom and tribal values, often resulting in discriminatory processes. Women, can, for example, be imprisoned for zina (moral crimes) that can include “running away from home” in domestic violence cases.

Taliban say Afghan resistance force 'besieged', but seek talks

The Taliban said Monday their fighters had surrounded resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley but were looking to negotiate rather than take the fight to them.

The announcement follows scattered reports of clashes overnight, with pro-Taliban social media accounts claiming gunmen were massing, and Afghanistan's former vice president saying resistance forces were holding strong.

Taliban fighters "are stationed near Panjshir", spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted, saying they had the area surrounded on three sides.

"The Islamic Emirate is trying to resolve this issue peacefully," he added.

Pro-resistance accounts on social media had dismissed earlier claims of being pushed back, saying Taliban fighters had been ambushed and routed.

Claims from either side were impossible to independently verify from a remote mountainous region that is largely inaccessible.

Taliban will not accept extension of Aug. 31 deadline for western forces to leave - Taliban sources to Reuters

A firefight at one of the gates of Kabul's international airport killed at least one Afghan security officer early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.

The gunfire that killed the Afghan officer early Monday broke out near the airport's northern gate — the same scene of chaos that on Saturday saw a crush of a panicked crowd kill seven Afghan civilians.

Who opened fire and the circumstances of the shooting around 6:45 a.m. local time remained unclear. However, the German military said in a tweet that one member of the Afghan security forces was killed and three others were wounded by “unknown attackers.”

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Britain's armed forces minister, James Heappey, said British forces and nationals had not been involved in a firefight at Kabul's airport on Monday.

Heappey told BBC television that the clash occurred at an area of the airport where British forces were not located.

A charter flight arrived at a Belgian air base outside Brussels on Monday carrying 193 people escaping the chaos in Kabul.

The Air Belgium jet brought the escapees -- including Belgians and Afghans who worked for international missions -- from an Islamabad base acting as a staging post for Belgium's military airlift from the Afghan capital

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday during a visit to Singapore that the United States was focusing on evacuation efforts taking place in Afghanistan and that there would be plenty of time to analyse the context of the troop withdrawal.

Harris met with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Halimah Yacob during a trip aimed at bolstering ties with partners in the region as part of Washington's efforts to counter China's growing economic and security influence. "There is going to be plenty of time to analyse what has happened and what has taken place in the context of the withdrawal from Afghanistan," Harris said during a joint news conference with Singapore's prime minister.

The art of the deal: US envoy behind the Taliban's return

If one individual could bring peace to Afghanistan, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad touted himself as the man for the job.

In the end, however, the seasoned diplomat has overseen the demise of the republic he so painstakingly assembled.

The 70-year-old Afghan-American envoy spent years as Washington's point man for talks with the Taliban that paved the way for the deal to see the US end its longest war and exit Afghanistan.

That milestone came after more than a year of intense shuttle diplomacy during which Khalilzad visited foreign capitals, attended summits at glitzy hotels, and gave speeches at prestigious think tanks.

The Taliban were ready to discuss a compromise, he assured his audiences.

Once a prolific social media voice, Khalilzad has gone silent since the Taliban returned to power following the collapse of the US-backed government in the face of an overwhelming blitzkrieg.

Kabul airport gunfight leaves Afghan guard dead: Germany

German and US forces joined in a gun battle Monday at Kabul airport after Afghan guards and unknown assailants exchanged fire, with one guard killed, the German army said.

CNN reported that a sniper outside the airport had fired at Afghan guards inside the facility and they had returned fire but US forces had fired back at the Afghan guards.

Two NATO officials at the airport said the situation was under control and all airport gates had been closed.

The airport has been in chaos since the Taliban seized the capital on Aug. 15 as U.S. and international forces try to evacuate citizens and vulnerable Afghans.

JUST IN | Germany says firefight involving Western forces erupts at Kabul Airport

A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces and Afghan guards at Kabul airport on Monday, Germany's armed forces said, as thousands of Afghans and foreigners thronged the airport, seeking to flee Taliban rule.

One Afghan guard was killed and three were wounded in the battle at the airport's north gate, which involved U.S. and German forces, the German military said on Twitter.

While the Taliban have deployed fighters outside the airport, where they have tried to help enforce some kind of order, there are Afghan guards helping U.S. forces inside the airport.

To leave home and not know whether you will return: “…I did my best to tell the story of the people of this country…”

Afghanistan crisis precisely why citizenship law was necessary: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Reacting to the developments in Afghanistan and the ongoing repatriation efforts, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the Afghanistan crisis is "precisely why" the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act was necessary.

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Taliban ambushed in Andarab of Baghlan province. At least 300 Taliban fighters were killed. The group is lead by Ahmad Massoud & Amrullah Saleh: Report

Women should be a part of deciding how the system itself could be reformed in more equal way: Obaidullah Baheer, lecturer of transitional justice at the American University in Afghanistan

Outreach efforts continue

Afghan children carry rifles and a Panjshir National Resistance Front flag along a road in the Dara district of Panjshir province.

(Credit: AFP)

146 people evacuated from #Afghanistan arrive in Delhi on various flights

"We left on Aug 14. A US Embassy's flight took us to Qatar where we stayed at Army base. US Embassy spoke with Indian Embassy after which people from Indian Embassy came to take us," one of the evacuees said.

Biden hopeful for ending Afghan airlift on time, orders airlines' help

President Joe Biden on Sunday said he still hopes to complete the "heartbreaking" evacuation from Afghanistan by the end of the month but warned of potential terrorist attacks against the crowded Kabul airport.

As the numbers of evacuees steadily rose, despite a volatile situation on the ground and enormous logistical difficulties, Biden said he was aiming to complete the task by August 31, the date agreed with the Taliban.

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Taliban political office spokesman Mohammed Naeem said in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Hadath TV that al-Qaeda is not present in Afghanistan and that the movement has no relationship with them.

The Taliban said on Sunday that "hundreds" of its fighters were heading to the Panjshir Valley, one of the few parts of Afghanistan not yet controlled by the group.

Since the Taliban overran Afghanistan, flickers of resistance have begun to emerge with some ex-government troops gathering in thePanjshir, north of Kabul, long known as an anti-Taliban bastion.

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The Taliban have extended their amnesty to deposed Afghan President and Vice President Ashraf Ghani and Amrullah Saleh, respectively, allowing the two to return to Afghanistan if they so wished.

"We forgive Ashraf Ghani, Amrullah Saleh and Hamdullah Mohib," said Haqqani, adding that enmity between the Taliban and the three was only on the basis of religion.

"We forgive everyone from our end; from the general (who fought in the war against us) to the common man," he said.

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Like the nightmare came true: Women students see no future in Afghanistan after Taliban takeover

A group of Afghan women too young to recall the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule are experiencing the same trauma once recounted by relatives after the group retook control of Afghanistan, leading thousands to flee the country.

"We are going back to darkness," said one of the university students evacuated to Qatar, who described feelings of anxiety and fear and like others declined to provide details that could identify them or their families back home for security reasons.

"It's all the stories that we were hearing from our parents and our grandparents, and at that time it was a story but now it's like the nightmare came true," a second woman said.

Afghanistan's Massoud refuses to surrender to Taliban, warns of war

Ahmad Massoud, leader of Afghanistan's last major outpost of anti-Taliban resistance, said on Sunday he hoped to hold peaceful talks with the Islamist movement that seized power in Kabul a week ago but that his forces were ready to fight.

"We want to make the Taliban realise that the only way forward is through negotiation," he told Reuters by telephone from his stronghold in the mountainous Panjshir valley northwest of Kabul, where he has gathered forces made up of remnants of regular army units and special forces as well as local militia fighters.

"We do not want a war to break out."

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Taliban says 'hundreds' of fighters heading for Panjshir valley

The Taliban said on Sunday that "hundreds" of its fighters were heading to the Panjshir Valley, one of the few parts of Afghanistan not yet controlled by the group.

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Rising prices, shuttered banks add to misery for Kabul

A week after the Taliban's lightning seizure of Kabul, growing numbers of people in the Afghan capital are facing a daily struggle to get by with their jobs gone, banks still shuttered and food prices soaring.

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