Tag: Afghanistan

Former Afghan premier and head of Jamiat e Islami Afghanistan Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and brother of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who have announced their support to the Taliban, will be given representation in the Taliban government, he said.

In a video message sent to the BBC, Saleh, a former vice-president of Afghanistan, said there had been casualties on both sides.

The Taliban, which seized Kabul on August 15 after sweeping across most of the country, have faced resistance in the Panjshir Valley, north of the capital, with reports of heavy fighting and casualties.

The air passenger service is currently linking the Pakistani capital of Islamabad to Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Even before the current upheaval, some 18 million people, or half the population, depended on emergency aid to meet their basic needs.

The Taliban leaders have said that the negotiations over the future set-up of government in Kabul have ended and will announce the new government soon

The Chinese reaction summarised Beijing's elation at the US withdrawal from its neighbourhood. Beijing has long sought to assert its dominance in Central Asia, and with Russia, it has been shaping the regional dynamics through the Shanghai Central Organization (SCO).

The U.S withdrew their troops from war-torn Afghanistan after Taliban took over, which will impact the whole world, but India is prepared, said BJP National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda on Monday (August 30).

Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan, the resolution "condemns in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks" of August 26 near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for which the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, an entity affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), claimed responsibility and which resulted in deaths and injuries of over 300 civilians and 28 military personnel. The UNSC resolution took note of the Taliban's condemnation of the attack.

The president said he has asked the Secretary of State to lead the continued coordination with US international partners to ensure safe passage for any Americans, Afghan partners and foreign nationals who want to leave Afghanistan.

India is well prepared to face any challege emanating from Taliban's occupancy of Afghanistan, says BJP National VP Jay Panda following the US withdrawal

"If Afghanistan is left alone, that would be a disaster for everyone," he said, stressing the need for remaining engaged with a country that has been at war for the last four decades.

Prior to that, Mullah Abdulghani Baradar, the co-founder of Taliban and head of Taliban's political office in Doha, had also landed in Kandahar province before coming to Kabul along with a delegation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack came after a US drone was hovering over the city, witnesses said.

The US is assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though it has no indications at this time. We remain vigilant for potential future threats, Urban said in a statement.