Taliban, rebels claim heavy casualties

PANJSHIR: Over two weeks after the Taliban seized power, fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud Thursday fought in the Panjshir Valley, as Taliban leaders in the capital Kabul worked on forming a government.

Panjshir is the last Afghan province resisting rule by the Taliban. Each side said it had inflicted heavy casualties. "We started operations after negotiation with the local armed group failed," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, reports a UK-based international wire agency.

Taliban fighters had entered Panjshir and taken control of some territory, he said. "They (the enemy) suffered heavy losses." Mujahid said this was a matter of a few days while Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace.

A spokesman for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA) rebel grouping said they had full control of all passes and entrances and had driven back efforts to take Shotul district. "The enemy made multiple attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, and failed each time," he said, referring to a town in neighbouring Parwan province.

Contrary to the NRFA’s claim, the Taliban launched massive strikes against the rebel group’s members in Panjshir, killing some nine militants, including two field commanders, while a large number of weapons and ammunition were seized," a military source said.

According to the Afghan news agency Bakhtar, the Taliban managed to destroy 11 enemy firing lines in the areas of Derbent-Garani, Gulbahar and Shatal. Meanwhile, Ahmad Massoud has announced his conditions for stopping the fight.

According to Sputnik, Massoud said if the Taliban formed an inclusive government and guaranteed equal rights to all Afghans, he would give up resistance in Panjshir. The 32-year-old son of late Ahmad Shah Massoud has pledged to hold out against the Taliban from his stronghold in the Panjshir valley.

In a recent Washington Post editorial, Ahmad Massoud said members of the Afghan military including some from the elite Special Forces units had rallied to his cause and he had appealed to some countries for help.

The legitimacy of the government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the economy as the country battles drought and the ravages of a 20-year conflict that killed an estimated 240,000 Afghans.Humanitarian organisations have warned of impending catastrophe and the economy — reliant for years on many millions of dollars of foreign aid — is close to collapse.

The economy is expected to sink by 9.7% this financial year and 5.2% next year, Fitch said in a report. Foreign investment would be needed to support a more optimistic outlook, a scenario that assumed "some major economies, namely China and potentially Russia, would accept the Taliban as the legitimate government".

The Taliban have promised to protect human rights and refrain from reprisals against old enemies. A source with direct knowledge of the move said Afghan diplomats had been asked to stay in overseas posts for the time being. The Taliban had made clear there would eventually be change but also wanted to maintain a sense of continuity, the source said.

The US, the European Union and others have cast doubt on such assurances, saying formal recognition of the new government — and the economic aid that would flow from that — was contingent on action. The foreign minister of current EU President Slovenia told Reuters the bloc was "far from even tackling this question", which EU leaders might discuss at summits next month. Some EU states consider the Taliban "a terrorist organisation".

If the EU — the world's biggest aid donor — decides to recognise the Taliban government, "aid is the leverage that the European Union has" in setting conditions, Anze Logar said.

The Taliban have promised safe passage out of the country for any foreigners or Afghans left behind by the huge airlift which ended when US troops withdrew on Monday. But with Kabul airport still closed, many were seeking to flee over land.

Qatar's foreign minister said the Gulf state was talking with the Taliban and Turkey about potential technical support to restart operations at Kabul airport, which would facilitate humanitarian assistance and possibly more evacuations.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he would discuss securing safe passage through third countries with regional leaders.

"We need to adjust to the new reality" in Afghanistan, he said. In Panjshir, the NRFA spokesman said their forces had killed large numbers of Taliban fighters on two fronts since clashes first broke out earlier in the week. "It has been proven to the other side that they cannot resolve this issue through war," the spokesman said.