The Taliban swept into Kabul last week, ending two decades of war, stunning the world as government forces surrendered en masse. There has been no statement from Massoud. But, also on Saturday, pro-Taliban social media feeds posted a video of Khalil Haqqani of the Haqqani network claiming Massoud’s son had “declared allegiance” to the new Islamic emirate. This week the son of the late, famed anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud called for a new resistance.ĪFP images showed uniformed Afghan troops drilling in Panjshir on Saturday. The mountainous Panjshir Valley remains the only holdout against the Taliban after the hard line Islamists took control of Afghanistan. Outside the airport, Taliban leaders gathered in the Afghan capital Saturday to begin mapping out an “inclusive government”.Ī senior Taliban official told AFP that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - who co-founded the group - would meet jihadi leaders, elders and politicians in coming days.īut the gathering also included top officials from the Haqqani network, a US-designated terrorist organisation with million-dollar bounties on its leadership. ![]() Mountainous Panjshir Valley still holding out ![]() US President Joe Biden responds to questions about the ongoing US military evacuations of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans. Thousands more have fled on other foreign military flights. On Saturday the Pentagon said 17,000 people had been taken out since the operation began on August 14, including 2,500 Americans. Other countries are also hoping to save thousands of people. Up to 15,000 Americans need to be evacuated and the administration hopes to get out a further 50-60,000 Afghan allies and their families. The United States urged its citizens still in Afghanistan to avoid the airport unless told otherwise, citing “potential security threats” near its gates.Ī White House official later confirmed that aides had briefed President Biden on “counter-terrorism operations” in Afghanistan, including against the Islamic State group, which remains active in Kabul. Mr Borrell said that as far as he knew that decision had not yet been made. President Biden has said the deadline could be extended for the airlifts. “Planes are leaving while people are still on the tarmac,” he said. Speaking to AFP, Borrell added that “we have complained” to the Americans that their airport security was overly strict and hampering attempts by Afghans who worked for the Europeans to enter. It’s mathematically impossible,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. “They want to evacuate 60,000 people between now and the end of this month. “We know that we’re fighting against both time and space,” he said. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby conveyed a sense of urgency as the military aims to complete the evacuations by August 31. The significance of the photo also holds because it was later used for the construction of the Marine Corps War Memorial in 1954, which was dedicated to honouring all Marines who died in service since 1775.Afghan women and a child inside a villa complex near the centre of the Qatari capital Doha, where refugees who recently arrived from Afghanistan began to settle. The Badri 313 unit is named after the Battle of Badr, 1,400 years ago when Prophet Mohammed defeated the enemy with just 313 men, the Hindustan Times noted.Īs per media reports, the original Iwo Jima photograph was clicked by Joe Rosenthal on Februwhich later went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication. ![]() In the videos shared, the Taliban soldiers can be seen heavily armed in full military gear, running in slow motion and speaking to the camera while showcasing US-made and other modern weapons that appear to be seized from Afghan special forces. The Taliban, which took control of Kabul in a sweeping victory also released a propaganda video of a fighting unit, the Badri 313 Battalion and patrolling parts of the city. In a bid to strengthen their hold over Afghanistan, the Taliban also released a series of footage that show the insurgents inspecting long lines of vehicles and opening crates of new firearms, communications gear, and even military drones. ![]() In a fresh offensive launched against the US forces, the Taliban recreated the famous World War II photo of US Marines raising the flag on the island of Iwo Jima while donning US-made tactical gear.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |