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The Taliban is expected to form a government as early as Friday because it faces domestic and international pressures to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially with regard to women’s rights.
Two Taliban sources told Agence France-Presse that a new government may be announced after Friday afternoon prayers as the organization turned to governing the country while also trying to divert armed challenges from rebels in the Panjshir Valley.
Although the West has adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards the Taliban, there are signs that the pace of participation of new leaders is accelerating.
The United Nations said it has restarted humanitarian flights to parts of the country, connecting the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Mazar-e-Sharif in the north of Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.
As a result of the recent violence, tens of thousands of Afghans have been internally displaced. It is estimated that as many as 500,000 people will become refugees in neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran.
The country’s main airport in Kabul is still closed, but is expected to reopen within a few days with the help of Qatar technical experts.
The following are the latest updates:
The Taliban is about to form a new government in Afghanistan
The Taliban are expected to form a government as early as Friday. The new ruler has received close attention from the international community for vowing to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially with regard to women’s rights.
Two Taliban sources told AFP that a new government might be announced after Friday afternoon prayers because the organization turned to power a few days after the United States withdrew its troops completely and ended the Twenty Years’ War.
Although the West has adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards the Taliban, there are signs that the pace of participation of new leaders is accelerating.
A Taliban spokesperson posted on social media earlier Friday that China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has pledged to keep its embassy in Afghanistan open and to “strengthen” relations and humanitarian assistance.
On Thursday, in Tolkam, Pakistan, during an organized media visit to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point, Pakistani soldiers stood guard in front of a member of the Taliban forces in the background. [Gibran Peshimam/Reuters]UN resumes humanitarian flights to Afghanistan
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that since Sunday, the United Nations has resumed humanitarian air service flights to Afghanistan, with three planes arriving in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
These flights are operated by the World Food Program(WFP) and connect Islamabad in Pakistan with Mazar-e-Sharif and the southern city of Kandahar in Afghanistan. The plan aims to provide humanitarian assistance to hard-to-reach areas.
Dujarik said the World Food Program is seeking to “strengthen” its operations in Afghanistan as soon as possible.
“From 2002 to 2021, the United Nations Humanitarian Airlift Service in Afghanistan served more than 20 destinations in the country; once security and funding permit, it will seek to return to these locations,” Dujarric said.
U.S. Republicans ask for a record of the call between Biden and Ashraf Ghani
Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to the White House requesting the publication of the “complete, unedited and unedited” transcript of the call between President Joe Biden and the exiled Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in July.
The letter was issued on Thursday and signed by 12 members of the US Congress, including the top Republican Elise Stefanik, accusing the government of “deliberate efforts” to mislead the public on the situation in Afghanistan.
Legislators believe that publishing Biden’s conversation with Ghani will increase transparency and hold the White House accountable.
The letter said: “The contrast between your government’s official approach and the reality on the ground shows a puzzling lack of coherence, strategy, and basic transparency.”
Brinken discusses Afghanistan during a call with his colleagues
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken discussed the situation in Afghanistan in different telephone conversations with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain and Germany.
The US State Department stated that Brinken thanked Germany for “supporting the facilitating of the transit of thousands of people from Afghanistan” during the call with Foreign Secretary Heiko Maas.
“The Secretary of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed ways to promote the safety of Afghanistan and international citizens after the withdrawal of NATO forces,” it said.
Talk to the Spanish Foreign Minister today @jmalbares And thank Spain for its firm support for our evacuation operation in Kabul. We discussed how the international community can continue to promote and realize the safety and security of Afghans.
-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 2, 2021
EU considers reactionary forces after Kabul leaves
After the EU was shelved during the U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan, the EU defense minister weighed in on the proposal to establish a European rapid reaction force.
After the chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport, the call for this 27-nation organization to develop its joint military capabilities to quickly respond to the crisis has grown.
EU Foreign Affairs Chief Joseph Borrell told reporters after the meeting: “Afghanistan has shown that our lack of strategic autonomy comes at a price, and the only way out is to unite our forces, not only to strengthen our capabilities, but also to strengthen us. Willingness to take action.” In Slovenia.
“If we want to be able to act independently and not rely on the choices of others, even if these people are our friends and allies, then we must develop our own capabilities.”
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