Taliban claims it has captured the last of the resistance in Afghanistan

The Taliban, who captured much of the country this summer, ended with the capital city Kabul on 15 August announcing they were preparing to announce a new government.

On Monday, pro-Taliban social media accounts posted a video they said was their fighters – whom they call mujahideen or holy warriors – raising the group’s white flag at the governor’s home in the provincial capital, Panjshir. Other photos and videos showing his presence were also published.

An unidentified Taliban fighter standing in front of the governor’s house said, “Thank God, this last province was also conquered with the sacrifices and hardships of the Mujahideen.” the hands of the Mujahideen.”

The insurgents have denied the Taliban’s claim, saying their militias are present at all strategic positions in the valley and fighting is on.

Panjshir, home to the country’s Tajik minority, remained the only province in Afghanistan not under the Taliban when they marched into Kabul. When they last ruled in the 1990s, the group did not manage to take the province, nor did the Soviet Union invade in the 1980s.

A resistance group claiming to be thousands strong had refused to accept the Taliban takeover. It is led by Ahmed Masood, son of the famous Afghan military commander Ahmed Shah Masood. Also in Panjshir was the former vice president of the fallen government, Amrullah Saleh, who had declared himself the rightful president after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country after the Taliban entered Kabul.

The insurgents initially negotiated with the Taliban, demanding a transfer of power to the provinces and the inclusion of all ethnic groups in the new government. Those talks did not progress, with the Taliban continuing their military push in Panjshir instead in recent days.

On Monday, in an audio recording released by the Resistance, Mr Masood said he had offered a ceasefire and resumed talks on Sunday, but the Taliban launched an attack instead, killing several people, including his family. were killed. Mr Masood did not address the Taliban’s claims of entering the provincial capital in the recording, or say where he was. He called for armed resistance as well as political protest throughout Afghanistan.

Mr Masood said the Taliban would “bring to an Afghanistan that is backward, riddled with obscenity, devoid of civilization and art, devoid of unity and solidarity, and a country that is forced into economic and political isolation.”

Ali Nazari, the group’s head of foreign affairs, said Mr Masood was still inside Afghanistan.

Small, peaceful protests by women, unrelated to the armed resistance at Panjshir, have occurred in several cities in recent times. They have been demanding basic freedoms and rights, but have faced violence several times by the Taliban.

Women came out on Monday in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. He said, “Education, work and security are our absolute right” and “victory without women is meaningless.” His placards included messages such as “Women are not erasable” and “A city with only one sex stink”.

A group of male journalists trying to cover the incident were forcibly driven away by an armed Taliban fighter.

One of the women, 28, told The Wall Street Journal in tears after the protest over the phone that Taliban fighters had made derogatory remarks to her while they were marching, including a lewd sex joke. They were eventually surrounded by armed Taliban who arrived in pickup trucks. A senior Taliban leader asked him to end the protest and said he had conveyed his demands to the authorities.

He said, “Everyone involved in the protest was very scared. At times, the Taliban threatened us and said that they would drive their pickup trucks over us.”

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told a news conference on Monday that arrangements would be made to allow women to go to work, but did not say when.

He said there would be no retaliation against the people of Panjshir, adding that they had the same rights as other Afghans. However, he warned that any other forces raising resistance would be considered enemies.

“We tried our best to solve Panjshir’s problems through dialogue, but it didn’t work,” Mujahid said. “We had to run our campaign because an isolated island cannot exist in the country, and the Afghan people have a right to address the threats to them.”

Mr. Mujahid also said that the government would be formed soon but did not give any date. He said foreigners would be invited to attend the inauguration of the Taliban administration.

“We assure you that we will build a strong, accountable, Islamic and responsible system,” Mr. Mujahid said.

The US, Europe and some neighbors in Afghanistan have called on the incoming Taliban administration to include members of the factions from across the country. Washington has said the treatment of women will also be a key marker for judging the new government.

Mr Mujahid also denied rumors that the group’s leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada, is dead. The group’s emir, or spiritual leader, has not been seen or heard since the Taliban entered Kabul.

He said the Taliban were working to fully resume civilian flights from Kabul airport, and criticized the US for damaging equipment during the withdrawal of US troops. The US, as well as Turkey and Qatar, have said they are providing assistance to reopen the airport, which will make it easier for the remaining foreign nationals and Afghans to leave the country.