Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
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10h
AlQaeda released a congratulatory statement to Taliban .In statement terror group also calls for Liberation of *Kashmir* , Palestine and other so-called Islamic lands. Afghanistan Afghan


Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
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6h
Amir Khan Mutaqi a Taliban senior member says, negotiations with resistance forces in Panjshir have failed and the Taliban began fighting with them



Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
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4h
Panjshir Update: In Kawak Pass, the war is being fought defensively by the ResistanceForces in Panjshir. In the Shotul district of Panjshir and Rah Tang, the Resistance Forces attacks have changed from defensive to offensive, and the Taliban are fleeing. Afghanistan Afghan

Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
·
10h
Now - Taliban trying to enter Panjsher through Gulbahar, but resistance forces hit them and there are casualties too. Taliban blocked the main road by container. clash is ongoing.

and now for this little jewel:

Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
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51m
The United States will help build new facilities for border guards in Tajikistan along the Central Asian country's frontier with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to better respond to security threats, the U.S embassy in Dushanbe said.

Ashish Sinha
@Ashish_sinhaa
Qatar urges Taliban to ensure 'safe passage' for people leaving Afghanistan.
4:20 AM · Sep 1, 2021

Battle for Afghanistan’s last bastion of freedom: Resistance fighters 'kill dozens of Taliban militants' trying to enter their Panjshir Valley territory

Rugged snow-capped mountain valley lies around 50 miles north of Kabul

Ethnic Tajik militia and former Afghan security forces have joined forces

Today they claimed they killed dozens of jihadists at entrances to the Panjshir

Comes as Taliban chieftain called on them to lay down their arms to avoid death

photos

Resistance fighters in the Panjshir say they have killed dozens of Taliban who tried to advance into a narrow gorge at the entrance to the valley today.

The rugged snow-capped valley, which begins around 50 miles north of Kabul, is the last bastion of freedom in Afghanistan.

The National Resistance Front (NRF), comprising an ethnic Tajik militia and former Afghan security forces, have vowed to defend the enclave as the Islamist group say they have it surrounded.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9947627/Resistance-fighters-kill-dozens-Taliban-militants-trying-enter-Panjshir-Valley.html

Taliban admits heavy casualties on both sides

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/09/01/Taliban-admits-heavy-casualties-on-both-sides-in-clashes-with-Panjshir-resistance

"China Russia Face Off Against US on Afghanistan at UN, Shield Afghanistan from Sanctions"

Welcome to your new lives: Afghans form huge queues outside banks as country already sees mass hunger and economic collapse within just days of Taliban takeover

Shortage of hard cash is forcing Afghans to queue at banks for hours at a time

Salaries have gone unpaid for weeks meaning that even the well-off are struggling to feed themselves with food prices soaring

Economy is teetering on the brink of collapse with bank assets frozen, aid drying up and skilled workers fleeing by the thousands

Doctors have also warned of the risk of a 'catastrophic' Covid outbreak

Apart from illegal narcotics, the country has no significant exports to generate revenue, and aid, which accounted for more than 40 per cent of economic output, has abruptly disappeared.

A new central bank chief has been appointed but bankers outside Afghanistan said it would be difficult to get the financial system running again without the specialists who joined the exodus out of Kabul.

'I don't know how they will manage it because all the technical staff, including senior management, has left the country,' one banker said.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9947127/Afghans-form-huge-queues-outside-banks-economy-teeters-brink.html

Seems very little chance that Situation will improve . The Taliban , a minority among Afghans and not very popular , with no national resources or meaningful international backers , and under sanctions aim to establish an exclusive Emirate or tribal Chiefdom and rule all Afghanistan . They plan to rule through fear without any elections or modern state apparatus , and by imposing some sort of feudal rule , keeping women out of the workforce . I can not possibly imagine that they will succeed in the short or long term . They can not control or take charge and are certainly not legitimate and should not be recognised as the Government of all Afghans , certainly when they refuse reasonable demands by other tribes for equality and power sharing .

Under circumstances where the Taliban are relatively well armed and free to cross border with Pakistan and obtain supplies and support there to launch a ethnic conflict , then we can not stop others from defending their very lives and homes . Either Taliban stop ethnic conflict and aggression against others or others will find ways to obtain arms and defend themselves . And even if we do not help them defend , then we should not hinder them either . In this situation , food aid should be provided to refugees in safe zones . Very sad to see .

nomadski wrote:
Seems very little chance that Situation will improve . The Taliban , a minority among Afghans and not very popular , with no national resources or meaningful international backers , and under sanctions aim to establish an exclusive Emirate or tribal Chiefdom and rule all Afghanistan . They plan to rule through fear  without any elections or modern state apparatus , and by imposing some sort of feudal rule , keeping women out of the workforce . I can not possibly imagine that they will succeed in the short or long term . They can not control or take charge and are certainly not legitimate and should not be recognised as the Government of all Afghans , certainly when they refuse reasonable demands by other tribes for equality and power sharing .

Under circumstances where the Taliban are relatively well armed and free to cross border with Pakistan and obtain supplies and support there to launch a ethnic conflict , then we can not stop others from defending their very lives and homes . Either Taliban  stop ethnic conflict and aggression against others or others will find ways to obtain arms and defend themselves . And even if we do not help them defend , then we should not hinder them either . In this situation , food aid should be provided to refugees in safe zones . Very sad to see .

That's a really good post! Sums it up very well, imho!

More about US in Tajik-Afghan-Uzbek border area.

U.S. Embassy Announces Project On Tajik-Afghan-Uzbek Border
The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe on September 1 announced plans to build a border-guard facility on the Tajik-Afghan-Uzbek border, where tensions have risen in recent months as Taliban fighters captured Afghan regions that abut Central Asia's post-Soviet republics.

The embassy said a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the project is scheduled for "early 2022."

"The new border detachment will replace the old one in Shahritus and allow the Border Service to deploy troops to the border areas as soon as possible in response to threats," it said in a statement.

The facility will house an unspecified number of border guards and their families.

Central Asians states bordering Afghanistan are concerned about security threats emanating from the war-torn country and the potential for tens of thousands of refugees to pour over the border to avoid life under the fundamentalist Taliban.

The United States and Russia have each responded to Taliban gains with increased diplomatic outreach among Tajikistan and its neighbors.

"The United States and Tajikistan enjoy strong security cooperation, and this Border Detachment project is another example of our shared commitment to the security and sovereignty of Tajikistan and Central Asia," the embassy quoted U.S. Ambassador John Pommersheim as saying.

It cited more than $300 million in U.S. security assistance to Tajikistan since 2002.

During talks with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Dushanbe on August 25, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon expressed his vision for a future Afghan government under Taliban control with all ethnic groups represented in the next cabinet.

Thousands of Tajiks are said to have volunteered recently to help locals defend the heavily Tajik region of the Panjshir Valley, which has so far resisted Taliban capture, although participation in foreign military ventures is banned under Tajik law.

https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-tajikistan-uzbekistan-border-facility/31439198.html

Russian-Led Military Group Struggles To Find Its Role -- And Relevance -- Amid Taliban Takeover

In early July, with the United States on the verge of moving up the deadline to quit Afghanistan and end its longest war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was asked if Moscow might one day have to send its own troops back. He pointed to a Central Asian state that shares a lengthy, and very porous border, with Afghanistan.

"I believe the answer is obvious," Lavrov said. "We are allies with Tajikistan. And if there is an attack on Tajikistan, of course, this would be an immediate topic for consideration by the CSTO" -- the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Now that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has become a reality, however, the answer is anything but obvious.

And the Taliban's return to power in Kabul has raised a host of new questions when it comes to the CSTO's role and relevance in protecting its members, and Central Asia as a whole, from any potential threat from Afghanistan.

https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/russia-csto-taliban-threat/31439038.html

Saleh calls Pnajshir resistance for entire Afghanistan as Taliban launches attacks

By Sadaf Shinwari / in Afghanistan / on Wednesday, 01 Sep 2021 06:35 PM / 0 Comment /

Former first vice-president Amrullah Saleh in his Facebook post on Wednesday, September 1 wrote that the anti-Taliban resistance is based in Panjshir province but is not limited to the province and added that this is for the entire Afghan nation.

Meanwhile, the Taliban claim to have taken Shutul district of Panjshir province and have also killed ten resistance forces.

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has also said that the fighters have seized three military tanks and some weaponry.

Amrullah Saleh has further written that the anti-Taliban resistance based in Panjshir Province is the only hope for the people of Afghanistan who oppose cruelty, looting, revenge, and discrimination.

“Have you asked yourselves why the people are storming the borders of Afghanistan and want to leave everything behind just to be safe in another country?” Saleh wrote asking the Taliban.

He also wrote that the lack of civil services and the crippled economy will infuriate the people of Afghanistan and the weapon and harsh behavior of the Taliban will never hamper people’s uprising neither.

It comes as the Taliban has previously said their negotiations with tribal elders and religious scholars of Panjshir province have gone in vain.

https://www.khaama.com/saleh-calls-pnajshir-resistance-for-entire-afghanistan-as-taliban-launches-attacks-47547457/

Taliban leaders start fighting for influence in Afghanistan
https://www.interfax.ru/world/788014

The US corners 60% of the world's resources. With resources being limited any country that tries to grow will become an enemy of the US.

Natiq Malikzada
@natiqmalikzada
"The reason for the failure of negotiations with the Taliban was that we sought to resolve the fundamental problems of the Afg people through negotiations, while the other side always offered personal proposals.Offers such as the presence of
@AhmadMassoud01
in the next gov...
1/2
..., Protection of Ahmad Massoud's personal assets. In response,
@AhmadMassoud01
told them that he is not seeking personal requests, and i do not have personal assets in Kabul." Said Mr. Fahim Dashty, Spokesperson to National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.


Natiq Malikzada
@natiqmalikzada
·
2h
Today, thousands of people in Badakhshan, most of them from the districts and villages of Badakhshan province, expressed their support and solidarity with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan led by
@AhmadMassoud01
.

Ali Maisam Nazary Retweeted
National Resistance Front of Afghanistan
@nrfafg
·
2h
Taliban casualties in the past 4 days:
350 killed
287 wounded
35 detained
Panjshir Observer
@PanjshirObserv



3h
Over 50 Taliban fighters captured in recent days during their ongoing offensive against Panjshir and neighboring provinces, as well as over 350 killed.











Panjshir Observer
@PanjshirObserv
·
20h
Resistance forces have liberated the districts of Jamalagha, Deh Baba Ali and Kohband in #Kapisa province. Taliban taking heavy causalities and sending reinforcements

Yalda Hakim’s Kabul notebook: Two faces of the Taliban, a violent new chapter, and why the Afghan War is not over

With Isis putting the lie to assertions that the terrorist threat has been dealt with, the West may soon discover that Afghanistan is not so easy to leave behind.
BY YALDA HAKIM

The frantic calls began the night before the city fell. “We are hearing the Taliban are at the gates of Kabul,” said one. “Please, help get us out,” said another. Whether by phone, WhatsApp or Signal, a career’s worth of contacts were suddenly reaching out to me, desperate for escape.

For as long as I had known Kabul, fear had never been far from the place. It was a city whose people quietly understood that at any moment, the routines of daily life could be shattered by some grotesque act of violence. This was usually a faint feeling – discomforting yet tolerable. Now it had congealed into something else. This was terror.
My friends betrayed
In the end, the Taliban did not need to eject the Afghan government from the seat of power; in fear and confusion, it simply ejected itself. As the realisation spread that the Taliban was on the cusp of being back in control, thousands of Afghans fled to the Hamid Karzai International Airport. Gut-wrenching images ensued: of children crushed in stampedes; of mothers handing infants over barbed wire; of Afghans clinging to the undercarriage of a US military aircraft, then falling to their death, one by one, as the plane took off.

I have been reporting from Afghanistan for more than a decade. I also have a very personal and deep connection with this nation. It is the country of my birth. My family fled Afghanistan in 1983 in the dead of night, four years after the Soviet invasion. My parents locked up their home in central Kabul, promising never to return to a country descending into a war that would go on to claim millions of lives. I was just six months old, strapped to my mother’s back.
aliban 2.0
Six weeks before the Afghan state collapsed, I was in Doha, where the Taliban had established a de facto embassy to the outside world. The skyscrapers, lined like dominoes along the Qatari corniche, felt centuries removed from the medieval rule evoked by the Afghan insurgents. Could 20 years out of power, and protracted exposure to a society like Qatar that had reconciled its Islamic identity with the benefits of modernity, have changed the Taliban for the better? As a journalist, my responsibility is to be sceptical. Yet listening to the Taliban’s spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, I began to wonder if some sort of moderation had taken place.

Shaheen acknowledged that mistakes had been made when the Taliban last governed Kabul, stressed to me the importance of girls’ education and promised to create an inclusive, modern state. Yet the counterpart to this beguiling vision came just a few days later when I was back in Kabul, meeting a Taliban field commander who had snuck into the city from the front lines of Helmand province.
Mawlana had been to prison three times, including a five-year stint during which he claimed his teeth had been extracted under torture. “We are fighting for a return of strict sharia law in this country,” he told me. “Everything has been clearly stated in our scriptures and holy book. Stoning of women who commit the crime of adultery, public executions for murder, amputating hands and feet for theft.” This was the Afghanistan that my friends in Kabul were convinced the Taliban’s return would bring. So which vision will prevail – Mawlana’s ruthless Islamic code or Shaheen’s promises of modernity? Perhaps the Taliban itself does not yet know.


https://www.newstatesman.com/world/2021/09/yalda-hakim-s-kabul-notebook-two-faces-taliban-violent-new-chapter-and-why-afghan-war

Natiq Malikzada
@natiqmalikzada
·
37m
Panjshir expects a tough attack from the Taliban tonight. The Taliban have suffered heavy casualties in the past two days and have lost several areas. The Taliban will use their last power tonight.  Resistance Forces, on the other hand, say they are ready for any Taliban attack.

Those left in Afghanistan complain of broken US promises
By KATHY GANNON
today
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Even in the final days of Washington’s chaotic airlift in Afghanistan, Javed Habibi was getting phone calls from the U.S. government promising that the green card holder from Richmond, Virginia, his wife and their four daughters would not be left behind.

He was told to stay home and not worry, that they would be evacuated.

Late Monday, however, his heart sank as he heard that the final U.S. flights had left Kabul’s airport, followed by the blistering staccato sound of Taliban gunfire, celebrating what they saw as their victory over America.

“They lied to us,” Habibi said of the U.S. government. He is among hundreds of American citizens and green card holders stranded in the Afghan capital.

Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, would not address individual cases but said all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted individually in the past 24 hours and told to expect further information about routes out once those have been arranged.

https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-travel-afghanistan-immigration-8dfd16bf16a15bb9896743719c82e115

US-Taliban anti-terror cooperation? Not so fast
By Salman Rafi Sheikh
Recent reports that the US and Taliban are on the verge of forming an unlikely alliance to tackle the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) terror group overlook fast-changing geostrategic realities and thus are mostly off the mark. In fact, ISIS-K is a more serious and long-term threat for nearby Russia China, Iran and Pakistan than it is to the US. https://asiatimes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2049a8663daea00bd30c32cf2&id=ab007a729c&e=5455568640

Qatar provides US a useful bridge to the Taliban
By M K Bhadrakumar
When the US State Department announced it would host a virtual ministerial meeting on August 30 with “key partners on Afghanistan,” there was an element of surprise in the list of participants. Apart from the United States’ NATO and EU allies, there was a solitary non-Western partner country: Qatar.
https://asiatimes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2049a8663daea00bd30c32cf2&id=07a1336cd6&e=5455568640


Afghanistan’s mineral wealth a challenge to tap
By Scott L Montgomery
The official ending of the US-led war in Afghanistan leaves a number of long-term questions, including how the country can build a functioning economy. Now that US assistance has evaporated and international aid is largely shut off, what options does Afghanistan have? One possibility resides in natural resources.
https://asiatimes.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2049a8663daea00bd30c32cf2&id=b506164f99&e=5455568640


The US Could Coordinate With Taliban on ISIS-K

White House Chief of Staff Not Sure US Will Ever Recognize Taliban
Fighting Rages in Afghanistan's Contested Panjshir Valley

US 'War on Terror' Has Killed Nearly One Million People

Post 9/11 Wars Cost Over $8 Trillion
Germany Hints at Reopening Kabul Embassy


Majority of Afghan Allies May Have Missed Out on Airlift: US Official


US Looking at Land Routes to Continue Afghanistan Evacuations


West's Withdrawal From Afghanistan 'Was Not Responsible', Says Pakistan's Foreign Minister


Aviation Insurers Hold Back on Afghanistan Flights After US Troops Leave


Over 20,000 Afghans Evacuated From Kabul Have Arrived in the US


Who Is Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada?


Taking Black Hawk on Victory Flight, Taliban Parade Plundered US Hardware


How Taliban Return in Afghanistan Triggered Islamophobia in India


European Council President: Afghanistan Withdrawal Shows Need for Military Buildup


Pakistan Frets Over Security Threats From Neighboring Afghanistan

EU Mulls Spending $355m to Resettle 30,000 Afghan Refugees
Netherlands' Kabul Embassy Relocated to Doha
US Treasury Issued New License to Ease Flow of Aid in Afghanistan
UK's Dominic Raab Defends Chaotic Afghanistan Evacuation, Citing Intelligence Failures

Putin Says US Achieved 'Zero' in Afghanistan https://www.antiwar.com/