Taliban claim last opposition stronghold has fallen
•Baradar to lead government •Women demand respect from militia •US won’t unfreeze assets
Three Taliban sources said the militia had on Friday seized the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last part of Afghanistan holding out against it.
“By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have been defeated and Panjshir is now under our command,” said one Taliban commander.
Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, told the television station Tolo News that reports that he had fled the country were lies.
And in a video clip posted on Twitter by a BBC World journalist who said it had been sent by Saleh, he said: “There is no doubt we are in a difficult situation. We are under invasion by the Taliban ... We have held the ground, we have resisted.”
He also tweeted: “The resistance is continuing and will continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil and defending its dignity.”
His son, Ebadullah Saleh, denied that Panjshir had fallen, texting the message “No, it’s false.”
Earlier, Taliban sources said the group’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar would lead a new Afghan government set to be announced soon.
Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office, will be joined by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of late Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, in senior positions, three sources said.
“All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are in final stages to announce the new government,” a Taliban official said.
On Friday, dozens of women protested near the presidential palace, urging the Taliban to respect the rights of women and their significant gains in education and the workforce over the past two decades.
“Our demonstrations are (being held) because without the presence of women, no society will prosper. The elimination of women means the elimination of human beings. If women are not present in a coun
try, in a society, in a ministry or Cabinet, that country or Cabinet will not be successful,” said Fatema Etemadi, one of the protesters.
The EU is ready to engage with the new Taliban government in Kabul but the group must respect human rights, including those of women, and not let Afghanistan become a base for terrorism, the EU foreign policy chief said.
“In order to support the Afghan population, we will have to engage with the new government in Afghanistan,” Josep Borrell said during a meeting of EU foreign
ministers in Slovenia.
He described an “operational engagement,” which would not by itself constitute the formal recognition of the Taliban government, and would “increase depending on the behavior of this government.”
Borrell said the new government must prevent the country from again becoming a breeding ground for militants as it was during the Taliban’s previous time in power. It must respect human rights, the rule of law and freedom of the media, and should negotiate with other political forces on a
transitional government.
The Joe Biden administration has no plans to release billions in Afghan gold, investments and foreign currency reserves parked in the US that it froze after the Taliban’s takeover.
Much of the Afghan central bank’s $10 billion in assets are parked overseas, where they are considered a key instrument for the West to pressure the Taliban to respect women’s rights and the rule of law.