DOHA, September 7 (Sputnik) - Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks in Doha with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, they spoke about Afghanistan after the seizure of power in the country by the Taliban movement (banned in Russia as a terrorist group), the Qatari Emir's office said in a statement.
"They discussed the development of events in Afghanistan and the efforts being made to strengthen security and stability in that country," the office said.
It said the ministers conveyed to the Emir of Qatar the gratitude and appreciation of the US President for the efforts of Qatar to support the peace process in Afghanistan and the key role in the evacuation of US citizens, citizens of allied countries and Afghans from the country, as well as for peace talks in Doha between the Taliban and the United States, and Qatar's diplomatic role in maintaining peace in the region.
ZURICH (Sputnik) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president met with the Taliban (terrorist organization, banned in Russia) leadership on Monday to discuss the charity's plans to expand aid to the Afghan people.
On Sunday, Maurer arrived in Afghanistan for a three-day visit. The ICRC head is set to visit medical and rehabilitation centers, supported by the organization, and meet with Afghan authorities.
"I met today with Mullah Baradar and the Taliban leadership. We spoke about @ICRC’s plans to scale our life-saving work across #Afghanistan. Neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian action is the basis of our work," Maurer tweeted.
The ICRC has served the Afghan people for thirty years and is not going to stop its activities in the country, the Red Cross chief added.
The United States assisted four of its citizens in leaving Afghanistan by crossing the land border on Monday, a State Department spokesperson said.
"On September 6 we facilitated the safe departure of four U.S. citizens from Afghanistan via an overland route. U.S. Embassy personnel were present to greet them as they crossed out of Afghanistan," the official said.
Afghanistan has entered a new period of political and social turmoil in the wake of the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) taking over the nation in mid-August. Despite assurances from the Taliban that foreign emissaries will not be harmed, many countries have evacuated their citizens and diplomatic personnel, as well as Afghans who cooperated with them.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington maintains contact with US nationals who remain in the country but wish to leave.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) successfully managed to contain the terrorist groups active in the country by invading Afghanistan, and none of its member states was attacked by terrorists from this nation, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the organization, said on Monday.
"We went to Afghanistan to deny terrorists a safe haven from where they could conduct attacks against us. For 20 years no terrorist attacks on NATO countries have been organised from Afghanistan," Stoltenberg said during his speech at a conference on arms control in Brussels.
A US-led multinational NATO coalition invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The invasion and subsequent occupation of the Central Asian country lasted for 20 years. The United States spent more than $2 trillion on the nation's engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq during this period.
The Taliban (terrorist group, outlawed in Russia) has prohibited Afghan news media from circulating the call for resistance against the movement issued by Ahmad Massoud, one of the leaders of the National Resistance Front (NFR), Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported on Monday, citing its sources.
The Taliban also prevents former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah from meeting with their fellow citizens, according to the broadcaster.
Earlier in the day, the Islamist movement announced that it had assumed full control over the northeastern province of Panjshir, which used to be a stronghold of the anti-Taliban forces. Massoud responded by urging all Afghans to rebel against the Taliban and accused the movement of receiving support from unidentified "foreign forces." Meanwhile, the NFR announced that the resistance forces were not defeated and were now shifting from conventional to guerrilla warfare.
Iran denounces the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) offensive in the Afghan province of Panjshir and calls for a peaceful resolution, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban declared that Panjshir, the only province that has not fallen under their control since their takeover of the country in August, has been fully reclaimed. The resistance has denied the claims, saying that fighting is still going on.
"News reports coming from Panjshir are worrying. The attacks last night are strongly condemned," Khatibzadeh told a briefing, as quoted by the Fars news agency.
The diplomat insisted that the conflict between the radical group and the holdout province should be resolved politically rather than militarily, calling for respect of humanitarian law and warning against a blockade of Panjshir.
He also counselled against foreign interference in Afghanistan, noting that this method has proved its failure historically.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid appealed to the people in Afghanistan not to hold rallies, saying that the country just overcame a crisis.
"We have just come out of crisis, so we ask men and women, as well as all the layers of the population not to hold demonstrations in such situations," Mujahid wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, the spokesman said that the war in Afghanistan had ended and a new government would be formed in the next few days. Mujahid also stated that the Panjshir province, which remained the last one not to fall to the Taliban, had surrendered to the Islamist group. The resistance forces in Panjshir, however, refuted the announcement.
NATO said on Monday that over 500 Afghan nationals who assisted its forces during the war in Afghanistan have been evacuated from the militant-controlled country, and temporarily accommodated at military bases across Europe.
"More than 500 Afghans who have worked with NATO and their families have been evacuated and are safely housed at temporary facilities in Bases around Europe supported by Allied troops," the alliance said in a statement, adding that coordination with the allies is underway to provide the evacuees with essential support and settlement in member countries.
In total, NATO has airlifted more than 120,000 people from the airport in the Afghan capital, the statement read.
The Taliban (a terrorist group, banned in Russia) entered Kabul in mid-August, leading to the collapse of the US-backed government. The large-scale evacuation of foreign nationals and Afghans seeking to leave their homeland from fear of Taliban rule lasted until August 31.
The same date applied to the withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan, which the Taliban refused to extend.
Around 200 people including 30 commanders surrendered to the Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) in the Panjshir Province in Afghanistan, and their weapons and ammunition were seized by the militants, the Taliban's senior leader, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said on Monday.
"In Panjshir, 200 people including 30 commanders surrendered to the Islamic Emirate with their weapons and ammunition," Muttaqi wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban claimed taking full control of Panjshir, while the National Resistance Front denied the claims as false, stressing that fighting is still underway.
Bakhtar News Agency shared a video on Twitter, showing the weapons allegedly seized from the fighters.
پنجشیر کې د دیرشو قومندانانو په ګډون ۲۰۰ نامسئول وسله وال امنیتي ځواکونو ته تسلیم شوي.
— nunn.asia (@nunnasia) September 6, 2021
دوی ته د امن کارتونه ورکړل شوي او د لارې د مصرف تر ورکړې وروسته کورونو ته رخصت شوي دي. pic.twitter.com/OhprOdaQ9Z
The resistance forces in Afghanistan's Panjshir are moving from a conventional war to guerrilla warfare against the Taliban (banned as a terrorist organization in Russia), National Resistance Front spokesman Ali Nazary said on Monday.
"Right now, the Taliban have been spreading a lot of propaganda that they have taken over the valley, which is wrong ... Entering the Panjshir doesn’t translate into victory ... What we’ve changed is our tactics. Forty-eight hours ago, we were fighting more of a conventional war. Now we are moving towards guerrilla warfare," Nazary told the Financial Times.
The resistance fighters retreated to the mountains and will continue their armed struggle from there, the spokesman went on to say.
The Taliban (terrorist group, banned in Russia) has extended an invitation to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Afghanistan, spokesperson for the group Zabihullah Mujahid told German tabloid Bild in an interview.
"We talked with German representatives and their special envoy visited our political office in Doha. I am sure that they conveyed our message to Mrs. Merkel ... We want to create a completely safe environment here, in Afghanistan — one that will be accepted by all countries and which the heads of states and governments believe in. You should visit us, and Angela Merkel will be welcomed very warmly. We will be very happy to see you," Mujahid said.
The spokesman added that the Taliban aims to establish official relations with Berlin.
"Firstly, we would like to have a good relationship with Germany. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [self-given name of Taliban's political system in Afghanistan] will be the desired government for all Afghans, and so, we want the German government to have the best diplomatic relations with our new government. Secondly, we would like for Germany to support and help us in the humanitarian sphere as much as possible. We also need help in healthcare, education and infrastructure. We believe that the German government can aid us," Mujahid said.
On Sunday, Merkel said that it was important that Germany engaged in talks with the Taliban adding that "they are now those who are to be addressed." The chancellor added that Germany wanted international humanitarian organizations to be able to work on the improvement of the situation in the country.
On August 31, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Germany was ready to resume diplomatic operations in Kabul which were suspended after the Taliban took control of the capital on August 15.
The Taliban (a terrorist group banned in Russia) has assured authorities in Pakistan that the prisoners released during their offensive in August would pose no terrorist threat to their country, the Afghan 1TVNewsAF channel reported on Monday.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that a Pakistani delegation in Kabul expressed concern that some of the former Afghan prisoners might infiltrate Pakistan and thus pose a threat to its security.
"Pakistan has repeatedly asked for permission to visit Kabul, which we recently granted. Pakistan is worried about the release of prisoners ... who want to carry out attacks in Pakistan. We assured Pakistan that no one from Afghanistan could threaten another country," Mujahid said as quoted by the TV channel.
The National Resistance Front (NRF) leader, Ahmed Massoud, has called on all Afghans to rebel against the Taliban. He said that the NRF will keep fighting until the country is freed.
Massoud also accused foreign forces of joining the Taliban* in clashes against Afghan people.
Afghanistan risks facing isolation and becoming a country that lags behind following the latest developments, Massoud added.
"This image is that Afghanistan will become Afghanistan that lags behind, dark and far from any culture, alliances and events, as well as Afghanistan, which will find itself in political and economic isolation from the whole world," Masoud said in an audio message.
*Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia.
Romania helped another 80 citizens of Afghanistan to cross into Pakistan, bringing the toll of Afghan evacuees to 156, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
"Another 80 Afghan citizens were successfully evacuated from Afghanistan by land, they are now safe in Pakistan. They were greeted by staff working at the Romanian embassy in Islamabad and were brought to a temporary accommodation facility until the completion of procedures that will allow for their transportation to Romania," the ministry said.
Romania continues to evacuate certain categories of Afghan refugees, including the military who used to serve in Romanian units, students with Romanian scholarships, journalists and human rights activists, as well as judges and their families. The country has also evacuated 49 Romanian citizens and seven citizens of allied countries.
Approximately 500 people, including members of the Taliban (a terrorist organisation banned in Russia) and fighters of the resistance forces, have been killed in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province in the past three days, a source said on Monday.
The source added that Taliban military commander Qari Fasihuddin was killed during the fighting but the movement did not confirm this.
Foreign technical experts assure that the runway of the Kabul airport will be restored in a week, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Monday.
"Reconstruction is ongoing in the Kabul airport. Technical experts from Turkey and Qatar and UAE companies are making effort to prepare the airport for international flights. They assured us that the runway will be restored in a week," Mujahid said at a press conference.
Foreign technical experts assure that the runway of the Kabul airport will be restored in a week, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Monday.
"Reconstruction is ongoing in the Kabul airport. Technical experts from Turkey and Qatar and UAE companies are making effort to prepare the airport for international flights. They assured us that the runway will be restored in a week," Mujahid said at a press conference.
The situation in Afghanistan is stable at the moment, and the Taliban believe that all security issues have been solved, the movement’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said on Monday.
"The security situation is stable throughout the country, the situation is improving every day, we guarantee that there will be no security problems, we have deployed special units," Mujahid told a press conference.
The spokesman did not specify where these units have been deployed, adding that only people "in special uniforms have a right to carry out searches and operations."
The Taliban have arrested more than 40 robbers and rioters over the past 24 hours, the movement’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said on Monday.
"Over the past 24 hours, 43 robbers and rioters were detained, their cases were referred to the police," Mujahid said, as quoted by the TOLO News broadcaster.
Afghan ex-Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president, has arrived in Tajikistan for a short-term visit to conduct negotiations regarding the platform for potential talks with the Taliban, a source in Kabul told Sputnik on Monday.
"Saleh is in Tajikistan on a short-term visit for negotiations to provide a platform for possible negotiations with the Taliban," the source said.
Afghanistan's National Resistance Front (NRF) leader Ahmad Massoud is safe and will soon make a statement, NRF spokesman Ali Nazary said on Monday, as clashes continue in Panjshir.
"My leader and brother Ahmad Massoud is safe and will be giving a message to our people very soon!" Nazary wrote on Twitter.
Afghan resistance forces remain in many areas across Panjshir and maintain control over the major part of the Bazarak district, National Resistance Front (NRF) spokesman Ali Nazary said on Monday, soon after the NRF refuted claims that Panjshir fell under control of the Taliban.
"The resistance is still all over the valley ... Most of Bazarak district and all the side valleys are controlled by the NRF," Nazary told CNN.
The Taliban movement invited Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar to an event dedicated to the announcement of the composition of the new Afghan government, Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing a source in the Taliban.
According to the source, the Taliban completed all the procedures necessary for making the announcement. The government will be controlled by the leader of the radical movement.
Afghan ex-Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president, left the province of Panjshir and is heading to Tajikistan, Al Jazeera reported on Monday, citing a source in the former Afghan administration.
Ariana Afghan Airlines successfully completed two flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul to the country's fourth largest city of Mazar-i-Sharif and the Herat province in the northwest, the company said.
"There were two flights from Kabul to Herat and the city of Mazar-i-Sharif," the company said on Facebook.
These were the first domestic flight since the departure of foreign military personnel from Kabul and were initially planned to take place on Friday but were postponed to late Sunday due to technical difficulties, Sputnik's sources said.
#BREAKING
— Jafar Faisal (@JafarFaisal1) September 6, 2021
The Taliban captured #Panjshir
By capturing the province, the Taliban succeeded in taking control all of Afghanistan.#War in Afghanistan is finished.@Zabehulah_M33 pic.twitter.com/48hkuX6mlS
Discussing the situation in Afghanistan with Russia and China is important for establishing peace and stability in the country, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said on Monday.
Japan is ready to interact with the international community to ensure safe movement for all those who wish to leave Afghanistan following the Taliban’s (terrorist organization, banned in Russia) takeover of Kabul on August 15. Japan is also ready to cooperate in what concerns humanitarian efforts and anti-terrorism measures, Kato told reporters.
"Discussing these issues and the situation in Afghanistan with interested countries, including China and Russia, is promising for the establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan," Kato said.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Sunday that a meeting of the G7 foreign ministers, with the participation of Russia and China, was going to take place in the coming days, possibly on September 8, to discuss Afghanistan.
