Afghanistan crisis live updates: Two killed in anti-Taliban protest in Herat

The Taliban had barely completed their takeover of the Afghan capital Kabul when the local affiliate of the Islamic State group struck, sowing mayhem with a bloody airport attack.It was a symbolic strike for the jihadist organisation, highlighting its longevity and sparking concern in the West.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Sunday to Qatar on his first trip since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as he seeks a united front with allies shaken by the chaos.Qatar, a major US military base, has been the gateway for 55,000 people airlifted out of Afghanistan, nearly half the total evacuated by US-led forces after the Taliban's stunningly swift victory amid a US withdrawal.

The Taliban are preventing around 1000 people including dozens of American citizens and Afghans holding visas to the US or other countries, from leaving Afghanistan, US media reports said on Sunday.Multiple planes are waiting for clearance for the departure from the group, The New York Times (NYT) reported and added that the holdup is caused due to ongoing negotiations between the US and Taliban.

An Afghan policewoman was shot dead by the Taliban in front of her family in Ghor province, an Afghan journalist informed in a tweet. Nigara was 6 months pregnant and was shot in front of her husband and children, the journalist informed.

At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren't able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee. An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

The leader of the Afghan resistance group waging an intense battle against the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley has said he is open to enter peace talks. Ahmad Massoud said he supported a plan, put forward by religious clerics, for a negotiated settlement, and called on the Taliban to end their offensive.Earlier, reports suggested the Taliban had rapidly gained ground in Panjshir. The province, north of the capital Kabul, is the most prominent example of resistance to Taliban rule.

The Afghan national resistance front on Monday informed that another senior member of their group, General Abdul Wudod Zara has been killed during the standoff between rebel forces and the Taliban.General Wudod was the nephew of Panjshir resistance leader Ahmad Massoud. Some reports also claim that Amrullah Saleh has moved to a safe place after a helicopter attacked his house, Samaa News reported.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address lawmakers on Monday about Britain's withdrawal from Afghanistan, amid criticism of the handling of the evacuation and failure to predict how quickly the Taliban would sweep through the country.

About 1,000 people, including dozens of Americans and Afghans holding visas for the United States or other countries, remained stuck in Afghanistan for a fifth day on Sunday while awaiting Taliban clearance for flights out of the country, the New York Times reported.

The Taliban on Sunday pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in Afghanistan in a meeting with the UN humanitarian chief in Kabul, a UN spokesman said. Martin Griffiths was in the Afghan capital on Sunday for several days of meetings with Taliban leadership amid a looming humanitarian disaster in the country newly under the control of the hardline Islamists.

At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren't able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee.

War-weary Afghanistan’s wait for a Taliban government to take shape appeared to stretch potentially longer after the outfit’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was reported injured in a clash late on Friday between his group and ally Haqqani Network, prompting ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to rush to Kabul on Saturday in a quick change of role from professed bystander to active troubleshooter.

Senior Taliban officials met in Kabul on Sunday with the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, who promised to maintain assistance for the Afghan people, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the Taliban's political office and other officials met Martin Griffiths as Afghanistan faces a potentially catastrophic humanitarian crisis caused by severe drought and a collapsing economy.

Fahim Dashti, a spokesman of the Resistance Front was killed in fighting in Panjshir province on Sunday, reported TOLOnews citing a source from Panjshir. Dashti was a senior member of the Jamiat-e-Islami party and a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists, as reported by the Khaama Press.

Amid fierce fighting between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF) over the control of Panjshir Valley in the north of Kabul, the militant group has said that it will soon form the country’s future government and ruled out that the delay to make an announcement was caused by a “number of obstacles” in the way.