Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis Highlights: The Taliban are in position near the Panjshir valley and have retaken three districts in northern Afghanistan that fell to local militia groups last week, according to a spokesman. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan after the US-backed Afghan government collapsed and President Ghani fled the country, bringing an unprecedented end to a two-decade campaign in which the US and its allies had tried to transform the war-ravaged nation. In a Facebook post, Ghani said he had left the country to avoid clashes with the Taliban that would endanger millions of residents of Kabul. In a recent development, the Taliban has issued first 'fatwa' after its swift takeover of Afghanistan last week, in which their officials in the restive Herat province have banned co-education in government and private universities. Days after vowing to respect women's rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban have described co-education as the 'root of all evils in society'. Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar has arrived in Kabul for talks with other leaders to hammer out a new Afghan government, according to a Taliban official. The official said that the group planned to ready a new model for governing Afghanistan within the next few weeks, with separate teams to tackle internal security and financial issues. "Experts from the former government will be brought in for crisis management," he told news agency Reuters. Meanwhile, India has evacuated around 730 people, including two Afghan lawmakers, as part of its mission to bring back Indians and Afghan partners from Kabul. US President Joe Biden has also said that that nation has an unwavering commitment to getting its citizens and at-risk Afghans out of Afghanistan.
This LIVE blog session has concluded. For the latest news, views and updates, stay logged-on to Moneycontrol.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban say want Afghans not to leave, expect foreign evacuations to end by Aug. 31
The Taliban expect foreign evacuations from Kabul to be completed by the end of the month, the Islamist group's main spokesman said on Tuesday, urging Afghans to stay to help rebuild their country. Zabihullah Mujahid said the movement had not agreed to an extension of an Aug. 31 deadline which he said had been agreed with the United States to pull out of Afghanistan, and he said the group wanted all evacuations to end by that date. "The extension was unilateral by the side of the United States," he said, apparently referring to a comment by Biden last week that U.S. troops may stay beyond Aug 31. "It was a violation of the agreement. We want them to evacuate all foreign nationals by August 31," Mujahid said, according to his translator. "And we are not in favour of allowing Afghans to leave."
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban take over some U.N. premises, curb movement -U.N. report
Taliban fighters have taken over some U.N. compounds in Afghanistan, searching and ransacking offices and in one case demanding the guards provide meals for a commander and his men, according to an internal U.N. report seen by Reuters. "We have also been advised by the Taliban to remain in our compound 'for our safety' which equates to 'ask permission before thinking about leaving'," the Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS) wrote in the Aug. 21 risk assessment report.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban appoints former Guantanamo detainee as acting defense minister
Afghanistan's Taliban has appointed former Guantanamo detainee mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir as acting defense minister, Qatari based Al Jazeera news channel reported on Tuesday, citing a source in the Islamist movement.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Ahead of G7 leaders' meet on Afghanistan, China says sanctions against Taliban not productive
As the leaders of the G7 countries are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss the Afghan crisis and possible economic sanctions against the Taliban, China expressed reservations over imposing penalties, saying the US and its allies should learn lessons from the past and act prudently. The Group of Seven leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are due to hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation arising after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and coordinate international response to the crisis.Ahead of the meeting, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will chair the emergency G7 virtual meet to coordinate international response to the Afghan crisis, said the Taliban will be judged by its deeds rather than words.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Swiss have evacuated 292 people from Afghanistan
Switzerland has evacuated 292 people from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Tuesday, while Switzerland would examine whether it could help facilitate talks underway between the Taliban and the collapsed U.S.-backed government. All local workers from the Swiss development office as well as their close family members have been able to leave Kabul or are safe at the capital's airport, he said. "I am relieved," Cassis said, adding one of the biggest evacuations in Swiss history was nearing completion. An aircraft bringing people back landed in Zurich early on Monday morning, while 66 people were still at Kabul airport and were due to leave in the next few hours. There were still 15 Swiss citizens in Afghanistan, but no more Swiss evacuation flights were planned at this stage, the foreign minister added.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | U.N. rights chief to report back on Afghanistan in Sept-Oct
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is to report back in the September-October session on the situation in Afghanistan and any violations committed by the Taliban under a resolution agreed by the Human Rights Council on Tuesday. The text, brought by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and adopted without a vote, gave Bachelet a mandate to present a fuller report in March 2022. Austria's ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said it was joining the consensus even though the resolution "falls short" and the bloc had sought to launch an international investigation.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK urges Taliban for safety of foreigners at UN Human Rights Council session
Britain on Tuesday urged the Taliban to allow the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals from Afghanistan at an emergency United Nations Human Rights Council session.Lord Tariq Ahmad, UK Minister for Human Rights, South Asia and the Commonwealth, addressed the session virtually to underscore the UK's commitment to protecting the human rights of the Afghan people amid the Taliban takeover of the country. "We urge the Taliban to allow the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals, and those who wish to leave Afghanistan," said Lord Ahmad.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |PM Modi speaks to Putin over deteriorating Afghanistan situation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan amid mounting global concerns over the deteriorating security situation and uncertainty in the war-ravaged country after its capital Kabul fell to the Taliban last week.After the conversation, the Russian embassy in India said the two leaders expressed the intention to enhance cooperation to counter the dissemination of "terrorist ideology" and the drug threat emanating from Afghanistan and agreed to form a permanent bilateral channel for consultations on the issue. In a tweet, Modi said,"had a detailed and useful exchange of views with my friend President Putin on recent developments in Afghanistan. We also discussed issues on the bilateral agenda, including India-Russia cooperation against COVID-19. We agreed to continue close consultations on important issues".
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghanistan's Hazaras call on Taliban to set up inclusive government
Afghanistan's Hazaras, a Shiite minority, are calling on the Taliban to set up an inclusive government in which all ethnic groups would have a voice. Shiite leader Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said the country's Shiite clerics have issued a declaration stating that a future parliament in Afghanistan should include members of different sects of Islam.He asked for freedom of religion under an Islamic government and asked that there be separate courts for Shiites that follow Jafari jurisprudence, in accordance with the provisions of law. The Shiite concerns come as the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar has been was insisting on implementation of Islamic law, and specifically Hanafi laws which are a major school of Sunni jurisprudence, in the laws and the constitution of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a Sunni militant group.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Female Afghan govt workers asked to stay home until security allows-Taliban: AFP
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Taliban ask US to stop evacuating skilled Afghans, reports AFP quoting the group's spokesperson
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says US should not encourage the Afghan elite to leave the country. He also says that the Taliban are committed to resolving the problem in Panjshir peacefully: TOLOnews
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
A Taliban spokesman says the U.S. must complete its evacuation of people from Afghanistan by the Aug. 31 date the Biden administration set for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. The Taliban say they will accept “no extensions” to the deadline.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | CIA director met Taliban leader in Afghanistan on Monday : Sources to Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden sent the head of the CIA to meet the Taliban's leader on Monday in the highest level diplomatic encounter since the militant group took over the Afghan capital, two U.S. sources said. CIA Director William Burns met Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, a U.S. official and a source familiar with government activity told Reuters on Tuesday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting came as the Biden administration evacuated U.S. citizens and other allies amid chaos at Kabul airport ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline to pull out. The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, first reported the meeting. A CIA representative said the agency had no comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Biden last week said U.S. troops may stay in Afghanistan past the deadline next week in order to evacuate Americans. On Monday, two Taliban sources told Reuters it would not extend the deadline for Western forces to leave.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Russia says ready to mediate in Afghanistan alongside China, U.S., Pakistan
Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan are interested in serving as middlemen in resolving the crisis in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. At the same time, he said, Russia opposes the ideas of allowing Afghan refugees to enter the ex-Soviet region of Central Asia - located between Russia and Afghanistan - or having United States troops deployed there.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Official says CIA director William Burns met Taliban political leader in Kabul amid evacuation effort
Official says CIA director William Burns met Taliban political leader in Kabul amid evacuation effort, Associated Press reported.The US has so far evacuated more than 17,000 persons from the war-torn country since its takeover by the Taliban.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
We hope the situation in Afghanistan does not pose a challenge to its neighbours & its territory is not used by terrorist groups such as LeT & JeM, to threaten any other country. We, as international community, must ensure full support to people of Afghanistan in their desire for peace, stability & security in the country & to enable all Afghans, including women, children and minorities, to live in peace & dignity : Indra Mani Pandey, Permanent Representative of India to UN, at UNHRC session on Afghanistan
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | France detains Afghan evacuee linked to Taliban
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said an Afghan evacuated from Kabul to Paris and suspected of links to the Taliban was detained by French police on Tuesday. The man is one of five Afghans placed under strict surveillance by France's intelligence agency for possible links to the Taliban. The five men were required to stay in a hotel in the Paris region for a quarantine, as are all evacuees who arrive in France without having been fully vaccinated. The man is one of five Afghans placed under strict surveillance by France's intelligence agency for possible links to the Taliban.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UN rights chief warns of abuses amid Taliban's Afghan blitz
The U.N. human rights chief warned Tuesday that she had received credible reports of severe abuses in areas under Taliban control in Afghanistan, including summary executions of civilians and security forces who had laid down their arms and restrictions on women. Michelle Bachelet urged the Human Rights Council to take bold and vigorous action to monitor the rights situation in Afghanistan, where the Talibans stunning takeover raised fears that they will return the country to the brutal rule they imposed when they were last in power. Taliban leaders have promised to restore security and tried to project an image of moderation, but many Afghans are skeptical and are racing to the leave the country, leading to chaos at Kabul's international airport. Amid scattered reports, it has been difficult to determine how widespread abuses might be and whether they reflect that Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters on the ground are taking matters into their own hands. Leaders from the Group of Seven nations plan to meet later Tuesday to discuss the burgeoning refugee crisis and the collapse of the Afghan government amid wrangling over whether the full U.S. withdrawal of troops could be extended beyond the end of the month to allow more time to evacuate those desperate to leave. U.S. administration officials have refused to be pinned down about whether an extension is likely or even possible given that a Taliban spokesman has warned that Aug. 31 is a red line and that extending the American presence would provoke a reaction.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghan envoy tells UN that millions live in fear under Taliban
A senior Afghan diplomat from the deposed government on Tuesday called for accountability for Taliban actions, describing an "uncertain and dire" situation where millions of people fear for their lives amid reports of door-to-door searches.
Addressing an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ambassador Nasir Ahmad Andisha also called for the creation of a broad-based government that includes all of the country's ethnic groups and female representatives. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Britain "not going to get" everyone out of Kabul
Britain says it has evacuated 8,600 UK citizens and Afghans from Kabul in recent days, 2,000 of them in the last 24 hours. But Defense Secretary Ben Wallace conceded that we're not going to get everybody out of the country before the US-led mission ends on August 31.
Britain and other allies are pressing President Joe Biden to extend the evacuation past the end-of-the-month date agreed with the Taliban. But Wallace told Sky News it's unlikely Biden will agree. The government said one of the evacuees on a British plane turned out to be a person on a U.K. no-fly list. Wallace said the individual was identified on arrival in Britain was investigated and judged not a person of interest to security services. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | JUST IN:
A Ukranian plane, which was evacuating Ukrainians from Afghanistan, has been hijacked by armed hijackers and flown to Iran instead, Russian TASS news has reportedciting Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Yenin.
Read more |Evacuation plane from Ukraine hijacked, taken to Iran, say reports
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban warn of 'consequences' as US ramps up evacuation
The Taliban have warned that there would be "consequences" if the United States and its allies try to remain in Afghanistan beyond next week, as Washington ramped up its efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people desperate to flee. Thousands of troops have poured back into the country to oversee the chaotic airlift of foreigners and Afghans from Kabul airport, and pressure is mounting on US President Joe Biden to extend an August 31 deadline for full withdrawal.
Biden and his Group of Seven counterparts -- several of whom are pushing him to leave soldiers at the airport to keep it open -- will meet Tuesday, with coordination on Afghanistan and how to handle the hardline Islamist Taliban atop the agenda. (AFP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | UK says evacuation window at Kabul airport unlikely to be extended
Western governments are unlikely to extend the evacuation window to allow their citizens and Afghans more time to fly out of Kabul airport, Britain's defence minister Ben Wallace said. US President Joe Biden will face pressure to extend an August 31 deadline to evacuate thousands seeking to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan when he meets Group of Seven leaders at a virtual meeting today. The Taliban have said the August 31 deadline is a red line. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
The three copies of Guru Granth Sahib, which were broght from Afghanistan, will be taken to Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara in New Mahavir Nagar, said Puneet Singh Chandhok, president of the Indian World Forum, an organisation coordinating the evacuation efforts with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Air Force (IAF). Nearly 200 more Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are still stranded in Afghanistan. These people have taken shelter at the Karte Parwan gurdwara in Kabul, which is close to the airport, he added. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | 3 copies of Sikh scripture, 44 Afghan Sikhs flown in from Afghanistan
Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and V Muraleedharan have received three copies of Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib and 44 Afghan Sikhs who reached India from Kabul via Dushanbe in Tajikistan on a special Air India flight. The three copies of Guru Granth Sahib will be taken to Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara in New Mahavir Nagar here, according to people coordinating the evacuation efforts with the Indian government. "The Afghan Sikhs will stay at a hotel in Karol Bagh till further arrangements are made," said Kanv Bhalla, an entrepreneur coordinating rehabilitation efforts on behalf of New York-based philanthropist Mandeep Singh Sobti. Sobti and Paramjeet Singh Anand through their Sobti Foundation have undertaken the rehabilitation of these distressed Afghans in coordination with and under the guidance of the government of India, he said. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Australia evacuated more than 1,600 from Kabul
Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said that Australia has helped evacuate more than 1,600 people from the Kabul airport in 17 flights since last Wednesday. "We have achieved this by working very closely with the United States and the United Kingdom, among other nations," Andrews told Parliament today. The evacuated people include Australian citizens, Afghan nationals who had worked for the Australian government during the 20-year conflict and other countries nationals. The Australian government has not said how many people it planned to evacuate from Afghanistan. (AP)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
India has brought back 78 people, including 25 of its nationals and a number of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus from Dushanbe, a day after they were evacuated from Kabul to the Tajik city. The group along with three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib was airlifted from Kabul to Dushanbe by a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force yesterday. The evacuees were received at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and V Muraleedharan. "Blessed to receive & pay obeisance to three holy Swaroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Kabul to Delhi a short while ago," Puri tweeted.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Air India flight with 78 persons lands in Delhi
A special flight of Air India arrived in Delhi today morning carrying 78stranded persons from Kabul, includingAfghan Sikhs and Hindus. The passengers brought three Swaroops of Shri Guru Granth Sahib from various Gurudwaras in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
I request the prime minister and home minister to amend CAA and extend the cut-off date from 2014 to 2021 so that people coming from Afghanistan get benefitted and lead a safe life here and their children are able to study here: Manjinder S Sirsa, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and SAD leader (ANI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | America laser focused' on evacuation from Afghanistan, says Kamala Harris
America is laser focused on evacuating its citizens, international partners and those who have helped it out of Afghanistan, US Vice President Kamala Harris has said in Singapore today. Harris, in her speech on US policy and partnerships as part of her three-day visit to Singapore, has said she was aware that the eyes of the world are on Afghanistan. We are laser focused on the task at hand, and we are extremely grateful to our men and women in uniform and embassy staff who are on the ground, as we speak, making this historic airlift happen in an incredibly difficult and dangerous environment, she has said. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
The Taliban were in position near the Panjshir valley and had retaken three districts in northern Afghanistan that fell to local militia groups last week, a spokesman said yesterday, though there were no confirmed reports of further fighting.
Know all about the Panjshir valley here
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Other G7 leaders to press Biden to extend Kabul evacuation deadline
US President Joe Biden will face pressure to extend an August 31 deadline to evacuate thousands seeking to flee the Taliban in Afghanistan when he meets Group of Seven (G7) leaders at a virtual meeting today. Western nations are struggling to bring home their own citizens and desperate Afghans massing at Kabul airport who are seeking to flee the country fearing reprisals after Taliban militants seized control just over a week ago. It has led to chaotic scenes at the airport, with some 20 people killed in stampedes and shootings, amid a panic to catch flights out of the country before the United States and its allies pull out their troops. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | FIR against poet Munawwar Rana for comparing Valmiki to Taliban
Madhya Pradesh police have registered an FIR against Urdu poet Munawwar Rana for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by comparing Maharshi Valmiki, who wrote the Ramayana, with the Taliban, an official said. The case was registered against Rana in Guna yesterday following a complaint filed by Sunil Malviya, state secretary of the BJP's Scheduled Caste cell, and other members of the Valmiki community. Talking to a channel, Rana had said, Valmiki became a God after he wrote the Ramayana, before that he was a dacoit. A person's character can change. Similarly, the Taliban, for now, are terrorists, but people and characters change. Malviya alleged that Rana disrespected Maharshi Valmiki with his comments and hurt the feelings of the Valmiki community and Hindus. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed:
I'm truly disappointed with the president (Ashraf Ghani), the way he left Afghanistan in hands of a bunch of Pakistanis. He let down our people, our country, our armed forces, military. How could we fight without any leaders? (ANI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed:
I'd continue with my career, I had a career outside Afghanistan as well. I've a big following all over the world, I'll be doing that & I'll dedicate a huge fortune of my music just like always to Afghanistan & its people, that’s my entire focus. I am not inside Afghanistan, I’m outside but I'll try my best to be the voice of the voiceless. I'll try to spread the word out there and see what we can do to get help to focus on Afghanistan and its people.(ANI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Pakistan-Afghanistan ODI series postponed until 2022
A one-day series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, scheduled for next month in Sri Lanka, has been postponed until 2022 following the Taliban's takeover of power in Afghanistan.
The two countries were due to play three ODI matches in early September in Sri Lanka, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said late on yesterday that the Afghanistan Cricket Board had requested the series be postponed. "PCB has accepted ACB's request to postpone next month's ODI series due to players' mental health issues, disruption in flight operations in Kabul, lack of broadcast facilities and increased COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka," the PCB tweeted.
"Both boards will try to reschedule the series in 2022." (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | One Afghan killed, several hurt in exchange of gun fire at Kabul airport: US military
One member of the Afghan forces was killed and several wounded during an exchange of gunfire outside Kabul airport, but no US personnel were hurt, the US military said in a statement yesterday. "The incident appeared to begin when an unknown hostile actor fired upon Afghan security forces involved in monitoring access to the gate. The Afghans returned fire, and in keeping with their right of self-defense, so too did USand coalition troops," the statement said. "One member of the Afghan forces was killed by the hostile actor; several Afghans were wounded during the exchange. The wounded are being treated at an airfield hospital and are reported to be in stable condition." (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates |
With thousands of desperate Afghans and foreigners massed at Kabul’s airport in the hope of fleeing Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers, US President Joe Biden is expected to decide as soon as today on whether to extend an August 31 deadline to airlift Americans and their allies to safety. Biden warned on August 22 that the evacuation was going to be "hard and painful” and a lot could still go wrong. US troops might stay beyond Biden’s August 31 deadline to oversee the evacuation, he said.
Read more | Joe Biden expected to decide within 24 hours on Afghanistan evacuation deadline
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Another man arrested in Assam for supporting Taliban on Facebook, count rises to 16
Another person was arrested in Assam for allegedly supporting the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on social media, taking the total number of such apprehensions in the state to 16, police said on Monday. The man, who worked in a tyre shop in Jorabat area of Guwahati, was arrested for his Facebook post in support of the Taliban, a senior police officer said. Fifteen people, including an Assam Police constable, a senior leader of the state unit of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, a medical student and a journalist, were arrested from various districts on August 20 and 21 for their social media posts supporting the extremist group's takeover of Afghanistan. The arrested people have been booked under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, IT Act and CrPC, he said, adding that more people were under the radar for similar posts. (PTI)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban near Panjshir after retaking three northern Afghan districts
The Taliban were in position near the Panjshir valley and had retaken three districts in northern Afghanistan that fell to local militia groups last week, a spokesman said yesterday, though there were no confirmed reports of further fighting. The districts of Bano, Deh Saleh, Pul e-Hesar in the northern province of Baghlan were taken by local militia groups last week in one of the first signs of armed resistance to the Taliban since their seizure of the capital Kabul on August15. By August 23, Taliban forces had cleared the districts and were established in Badakhshan, Takhar and Andarab near the Panjshir valley, according to the Twitter account of spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. (Reuters)
Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis LIVE Updates | Taliban will be judged by deeds, not words, says Boris Johnson ahead of G7 meet
The Taliban will be judged by its deeds rather than words, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday ahead of chairing an emergency G7 virtual meet to coordinate international response to the Afghan crisis. Downing Street said that during the meeting today, the UK PM will call on the Group of Seven leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States to continue to stand by the Afghan people and step up support for refugees and humanitarian aid. He is expected to urge international partners to match the UK's commitments on aid and the resettlement of those most in need in order to protect human rights and contribute to the stability of the region. (PTI)
Hello and welcome to Moneycontrol’s LIVE coverage of the Afghanistan-Taliban Crisis.
The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for the latest updates through the day.
