For the first time since October 2001, there are no American troops in Afghanistan . While defending his decision to pull back the forces, which led to the Taliban’s quick takeover of Kabul on August 15, U.S. President Joe Biden said on August 31 that he was left with only two options after the withdrawal agreement the Trump administration signed with the Taliban in February 2020 — either honour the deal or renege on it and send in more troops to continue the war.
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The question still remains if many countries across the world will recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and change the foreign policy accordingly.
Here are the latest developments:
Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada to be named Supreme Leader
The Taliban's top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada as Afghanistan's supreme authority, a senior member of the group has said.
“Consultations are almost finalised on the new government, and the necessary discussions have also been held about the cabinet,” Mufti Inamullah Samangani, a senior official in the Taliban's information and culture commission, said on Wednesday.
He said the group is all set to announce the formation of the new government in Kabul in the next three days.
In the new set-up, 60-year-old Mullah Akhundzada will be the Supreme Leader of the Taliban government, which will follow the pattern of the Iranian leadership.
In Iran, the supreme leader is the highest political and religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary. The supreme leader has final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the country.
“Mullah Akhunzada will be the leader of the government and there should be no question on this,” he said, indicating that the president will work under his oversight.
Mullah Akhunzada is the top religious leader of the Taliban and has been serving at a mosque in Kachlaak area of Balochistan province for 15 years. - PTI
Pakistan shuts key border crossing with Afghanistan
Pakistan on Thursday temporarily closed a key border crossing with Afghanistan, apparently due to fear of the influx of refugees eager to leave their homeland after the Taliban seized power last month.
Chaman border crossing - the second-largest commercial border point with Afghanistan after the Torkham commercial town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - has been closed due to security threats, Geo News reported, citing sources.
The crossing links Pakistan’s border town of Chaman with Spin Boldak in the Afghan province of Kandahar and is frequented by the Afghan as well as used for trade between the two countries.
Thousands of Afghans have been amassing around the crossing to sneak into Pakistan which has already announced that it was not in a position to accept more refugees, according to security officials.
Already around 3 million Afghan refugees have been living in Pakistan, some for more than three decades, since the invasion of their country by the erstwhile USSR in 1979.
China reacts positively to Russian plan to hold first 'Extended Troika' meeting in Kabul after Taliban seizes power
China on Thursday reacted positively to a Russian proposal to convene a new meeting of the 'Extended Troika' on Afghanistan in Kabul - the first such conference since the Taliban seized power last month.
Russia plans to convene a new meeting of the 'Extended Troika' on Afghanistan in Kabul after the resumption of commercial flights, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Sputnik.
The "extended Troika" meeting was earlier held in Qatar on August 11. Talks under the format had earlier taken place on March 18 and April 30.
UK says there is scope for dialogue with Taliban
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary says that although the U.K. won’t soon recognize the Taliban’s government, 'there is an important scope' for dialogue with Afghanistan’s new rulers.
In a joint press conference in Doha with his Qatari counterpart, Dominic Raab said he supported the 'engagement' with the Taliban to test the group’s wide-ranging promises. He cited the Taliban’s pledges to protect freedom of travel for Afghans and foreigners, to form an inclusive government and, significantly, to prevent international terrorist groups from using the war-scarred country as a base.
Mr. Raab said: “In all of these areas, we will judge them by what they do, not just by what they say.”
Qatar working with Taliban to reopen Kabul airport 'as soon as possible'
Qatar is working with the Taliban to reopen Kabul's airport as soon as possible, its foreign minister said on Thursday, urging the hardline Islamists to allow Afghans to leave.
More than 123,000 foreign nationals and Afghans fled the country in the airlift operation, but many more are desperate to depart.
"It's very important... that the Taliban demonstrate their commitment to provide safe passage and freedom of movement for the people of Afghanistan," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Qatar is "engaging with (the Taliban) and also with Turkey if they can provide any technical assistance", he added.
Taliban close to forming government as women protest
The Taliban on Thursday said that they were close to forming a new government, as dozens of women held a rare protest for the right to work under a new regime that faces enormous economic hurdles and deep public mistrust.
The announcement of a cabinet, which two Taliban sources told AFP, may take place on Friday following afternoon prayers. It would come just days after the chaotic pullout of the U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ending America's longest war with an astounding military victory for the Islamist group.
Speculation is rife about the make-up of a new government, although a senior official said Wednesday that women were unlikely to be included.
Senior leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai -- a hardliner
in the first Taliban administration -- told BBC Pashto in an interview that while women could continue working, there "may not" be a place for them in the cabinet of any future government or any other top post.
In the western city of Herat, some 50 women took to the streets in a rare, defiant protest for the right to work and over the lack of women's participation in the new government.
"It is our right to have education, work and security," the protesters chanted in unison, said an AFP journalist who witnessed the protest.
"We are not afraid, we are united," they added.
Afghan Paralympian makes debut after top-secret evacuation
Afghan taekwondo athlete Zakai Khudadadi competed in the Paralympic Games on September 2, becoming the first female Afghan to do so since Athens 2004, after a secret international effort to help her get out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The 22-year-old and her compatriot Hossain Rasouli arrived in Tokyo on August 28 for help to leave Kabul after the Taliban swept to power. -REUTERS
U.K.'s Raab to discuss Afghanistan with Qatar's emir on September 2
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will on September 2 visit Doha to discuss the situation in Afghanistan with Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Mr. Raab's office said.
"The prospects of getting Kabul airport up and running and safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans across land borders (are) top of the agenda," the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Mr. Raab will also meet his Qatari counterpart and the British embassy to Afghanistan, which has temporarily relocated to Qatar, his office said. -REUTERS
Taliban preparing to reveal new Afghan government amid economic turmoil
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers were preparing on September 2 to unveil their new government as the economy teetered on the edge of collapse more than two weeks after the Islamist militia captured Kabul and brought a chaotic end to 20 years of war.
Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul, while private broadcaster Tolo said an announcement on a new government was imminent. -REUTERS
'It looked apocalyptic': Crew describes Afghan departure
August 30 night were the five last C-17s to leave the country after a chaotic and deadly airlift evacuation that marked the end of America's involvement in the Afghanistan war.
“It just looked apocalyptic,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Braden Coleman, who was in charge of monitoring the outside of his aircraft for artillery fire and other threats. “It looked like one of those zombie movies where all the airplanes had been destroyed, their doors were open, the wheels were broken. There was a plane that was burned all the way. You could see the cockpit was there, and the whole rest of the plane looked like the skeleton of a fish.”
“It was just definitely very tense, and we were definitely all on edge watching everything going on to make sure that we were ready,” said Air Force Capt. Kirby Wedan, pilot of MOOSE81, who led the final formation of five aircraft out. -AP
Will run out of food stocks in Afghanistan by end of this month: senior UN official warns
The United Nations' food stockpiles in Afghanistan could run out this month and there is a critical need for $200 million to provide food to the most vulnerable, a senior UN official has warned.
Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said that at least one-third of the conflict-torn country's population currently is “not sure that they will have a meal every day or not. This is what is going on.”
“By the end of September, the stocks which the World Food Programme has in the country will be out. We will be out of stock. We will not be able to provide those essential food items because we'll be out of stock," Alakbarov told reporters during a virtual press briefing from Kabul on September 1.
Security Council to keep focus on Afghanistan
The president of the U.N. Security Council says the U.N.’s most powerful body will not take its focus off Afghanistan this month and “the real litmus test” for the new Taliban government will be how it treats women and girls.
Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said on September 1 that the protection and promotion of human rights for women “must be at the very heart of our collective response to the crisis.” -AP
Effort underway to rescue girls soccer team from Afghanistan
An international effort to evacuate members of the Afghanistan national girls soccer team, along with dozens of family members and soccer federation staff, suffered a crushing setback last week after a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed 169 Afghans and 13 US service members during a harrowing airlift.
Robert McCreary, a former congressional chief of staff and White House official under President George W Bush who has worked with special forces in Afghanistan said the mission — called Operation Soccer Balls — is working with other countries, with the hope the girls will eventually settle in the U.S. He said Australia, France and Qatar have expressed interest in helping. He also urged the Taliban to ease the exit for the group, saying it would create goodwill. -PTI
Taliban a ruthless group, don't know about its future: Senior U.S. general
The Taliban is a ruthless group from the past, a top American general said, noting that it remains to be seen if the organisation has changed or not.
“We don't know what the future of the Taliban is, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a ruthless group from the past, and whether or not they change remains to be seen,” Joint U.S. Chiefs Of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.
“And as far as our dealings with them at that airfield or in the past year or so, in war, you do what you must in order to reduce risk to the mission and force, not what you necessarily want to do,” he said responding to questions on cooperation with the Taliban. -PTI
No rush for US to recognise Taliban: White House
There is no rush to recognise the Taliban either by the United States or many of the countries that it has spoken to, the White House said asserting that such a move would be dependent on what they deliver on the expectations of the global community.
“There's no rush to recognition from the United States or any country we have spoken with around the world. It will be very dependent on their behaviour and whether they deliver on what the expectations are of the global community,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference on September 1. -PTI
Senior U.S. general, Pakistan Army chief discuss security situation in Pakistan, surrounding region: Pentagon
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on September 1 discussed the current security environment in Pakistan and the region during a phone call, the Pentagon said.
This was the first phone call a top U.S. official has had with Pakistan's Army chief after the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Afghanistan on August 31.
Hundreds of American troops are currently in Pakistan capital Islamabad on their transit from Afghanistan to the U.S. -PTI
India Foreign Secretary in Washington DC to meet U.S. officials
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived in the United States capital on September 1 to hold meetings with senior officials from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration.
Mr. Shringla is among the few foreign officials to be in town and the highest level Indian official to meet top officials of the Biden administration after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan that brought down curtains on the 20-year-old war. -PTI
China trying to take over Bagram air force base, use Pakistan against India: Nikki Haley
In the aftermath of the Taliban regaining power in Afghanistan, a former senior American diplomat has said there is a need to closely watch China as it is making a move to take over the Bagram air force base that was controlled by the United States for nearly two decades.
America’s former envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley told Fox News on September 1 that it is time that President Joe Biden's administration reaches out to its key friends and allies like India, Japan and Australia and assure them that the U.S. will have their back.
“The first thing you should do is immediately start connecting with our allies, whether it's Taiwan, whether it's Ukraine, whether it's Israel, whether it's India, Australia, Japan, all of them, and reassure them that we will have their back and that we need them as well,” Ms. Haley said. -PTI
U.S. says looking at all possible routes for Afghan evacuations
The United States is looking at all possible options and routes to continue to help Americans and legal permanent residents to leave Afghanistan, U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told a news briefing on September 1. -REUTERS
U.K. foreign minister heads to Asia for Afghanistan talks
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was heading to the region around Afghanistan on September 1 in a push to rescue stranded British citizens and Afghan allies, amid strong criticism of the government's rushed and chaotic evacuation effort.
Mr. Raab did not provide any details, citing security reasons, but he is expected to visit Pakistan for talks on establishing routes out of Afghanistan through third countries.
A senior British official, Simon Gass, already travelled to Qatar to meet with Taliban representatives for talks about allowing people to leave Afghanistan. -PTI
EU says will not rush into recognising the Taliban
The European Union will need to engage with the Taliban but it will not rush into formally recognising the Islamist militant group as the new rulers of Afghanistan, a senior European Union official said on September 1.
Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific, said official relations would only come about if the Taliban satisfies a series of conditions, including respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers. -REUTERS
'Consequences of abandonment' could lead to civil war in Afghanistan: Qureshi
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on September 1 said the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan was not "responsible or orderly", warning that the "consequences of abandonment" could lead to a civil war in the war-ravaged country if the West failed to engage with the Taliban.
Mr. Qureshi warned of potential "anarchy" and a resurgent threat of terrorism and said there was a failure to listen to Pakistan's concerns about ending the war in Afghanistan and as a result the withdrawal was not "responsible or orderly", Geo News reported. -PTI
EAM Jaishankar speaks to Iranian counterpart, discusses regional issues
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on September 1 spoke to his newly-appointed Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian, and discussed the situation in Afghanistan as well as bilateral issues.
Iran's parliament last week approved the appointment of Amirabdollahian as the country's foreign minister in the new cabinet of President Ebrahim Raisi. -PTI
In Panjshir, anti-Taliban forces repulse attacks
The Taliban on September 1 called on fighters in the holdout bastion of the Panjshir Valley to lay down their arms, as the resistance movement said it had repulsed heavy attacks.
The rugged mountain valley with towering snow-capped peaks — which begins around 80 kilometres north of the capital Kabul — is the centre of Afghanistan’s most important pocket of armed anti-Taliban forces.
The National Resistance Front (NRF), comprising anti-Taliban militia fighters and former Afghan security forces, have vowed to defend the enclave as the Islamist group sends fighters to encircle the area.
With airport closed, fearful Afghans scramble for the border
Crowds seeking to flee Afghanistan gathered on its borders while long queues formed at banks on September 1, as an administrative vacuum after the Taliban's takeover left foreign donors unsure how to respond to a looming humanitarian crisis.
With Kabul's airport inoperable, private efforts to help Afghans fearful of Taliban reprisals focus on arranging safe passage across the land-locked nation’s borders with Iran, Pakistan and central Asian states. -REUTERS
