Taliban ask former Afghan forces to integrate with new regime: Key points

NEW DELHI: Resistance forces holed up in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley against the Taliban have called for a ceasefire, a statement from their leaders said.

This comes after reports of them suffering heavy losses at the weekend.

Afghanistan crisis: Live updates

Here are the top developments-Taliban spokesman says new Afghan government will be announced soon
A spokesman for the Taliban said on Monday that a new Afghan government would be announced soon, but he did not specify when.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference that after capturing Panjshir, the last holdout of resistance forces, the Taliban controlled the entire country.

"The war in Afghanistan is over, now we will work together to rebuild this country," said Mujahid at a press conference in Kabul, as quoted by TOLO News. "A new government will be announced in the next few days," he added.

Fight against Taliban in Panjshir Valley 'will continue':

NRF

The anti-Taliban resistance force in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley vowed Monday to carry on fighting, after the Taliban said they had captured the area.

The National Resistance Front said it was present in "strategic positions" across the valley, adding "the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue".

Taliban claim complete control of Afghan province of Panjshir
The Taliban have taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area in Afghanistan being held by resistance forces, the Islamist militant group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Monday.

Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound.

There was no immediate word from Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the opposition group resisting Taliban forces.


Taliban ask former Afghan forces to integrate with new regime
The Taliban on Monday called on former members of the Afghan forces to integrate with the new hardline rulers.

"The Afghan forces who were trained in the past 20 years will be asked to rejoin the security departments alongside Taliban members," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference in the capital Kabul.

The spokesman added that any insurgency against their rule would be "hit hard", after earlier saying they had captured the Panjshir Valley -- the last pocket of resistance.

Panjshir resistance forces claim to have captured hundreds of Taliban
The NRF said that it surrounded hundreds of Taliban fighters in Khawak Pass and the Taliban abandoned vehicles and equipment in the Dashte Rewak area, reported Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford, based in the capital Kabul, reported that sources on the ground said hundreds of Taliban fighters had been taken prisoner on Sunday.

"Sources within the valley are saying the NRF is claiming to have captured about 1,500 Taliban. Apparently, these fighters were surrounded," said Stratford.

Ceasefire and capture claims
The National Resistance Front (NRF) said on late Sunday it "proposes that the Taliban stop its military operations in Panjshir... and withdraw its forces. In return, we will direct our forces to refrain from military action."



The Taliban claimed late Sunday to have captured almost the entire valley, but

pro-NRF

social media accounts denied this and said resistance fighters had retreated to the highlands.

Afghan resistance force senior member killed
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.

Meanwhile, a prominent Taliban general and 13 bodyguards have also died.

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.

The developments came soon after Afghan resistance force spokesperson Fahim Dashti was reported dead by various Afghanistan media.

'Open to peace talks with Taliban'
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.



In a post on Facebook, Massoud said the NRF, which includes former Afghan security force members and local militias, would be prepared to stop fighting if the Taliban ceased their attacks, the BBC reported on Monday.

There was no immediate response from the Taliban. The Islamist group took control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

Where is Saleh?
Some reports also claim that Amrullah Saleh has moved to a safe place after a helicopter attacked his house, Samaa News reported.

Taliban shoots Afghan policewoman in front of her family
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.

On Sunday, a Sputnik correspondent reported, Women started buying head and body coverings out of fear that the Taliban would hunt down and beat them up if they were seen without hijabs or burqas, something similar to what used to happen in the country in the 1990s.

Afghan women hold protests
A few days earlier, dozens of Afghan women held protests in Herat demanding rights and female representation in the government formation after the Taliban took control of the war-ravaged country.

Protestors were carrying banners with slogans against the exclusion of women from the country's political system under the regime of the Taliban, Tolo News reported.



As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan once again after 20 years, experts believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the group's regime.

About Panjshir Valley
Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. It lies in the Hindu Kush mountains, approximately 90 miles north of Kabul.

It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban's previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

The Taliban have been unable to take this major holdout of resistance after steamrolling across pro-government troops in a matter of months. The war over Panjshir province escalated from Friday night.

Panjshir fighters held out for a decade against the Soviet military and also the Taliban's first regime from 1996-2001.

The NRF is led by Ahmad Massoud -- the son of legendary anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud -- and holed out with former vice-president Amrullah Saleh, a fierce Taliban critic.

(With inputs from agencies)