Afghanistan: fighting in Panshir, government announcement still postponed
Soldiers of the anti-Taliban resistance movement in the district of Dara, in the Afghan province of Panshir, September 2, 2021. AFP - AHMAD SAHEL ARMAN
Text by: RFI Follow
11 mins
The Taliban again postponed this Saturday, September 4 the announcement of their government cabinet, whose composition could set the tone for the years to come in Afghanistan.
The new regime remains confronted with a pocket of armed resistance in the Panshir valley.
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No announcement on the future Afghan government this Saturday, according to two Taliban sources cited by Agence France-Presse.
The situation in Panshir, one of the last centers of armed opposition to the new regime, could explain the delay in presenting the new executive, initially expected to be unveiled on Friday.
A long-standing anti-Italiban stronghold, this landlocked and difficult-to-access valley, located about 80 kilometers north of the capital, has been the scene since Monday and the departure of the last American troops from the country of fighting between the Taliban forces and the National Front. resistance (FNR).
In Kabul, Friday evening, September 3, gusts sounded, fired to celebrate a Taliban victory in Panshir, which rumors in particular on social networks said acquired.
But the Taliban made no official announcement and a resident of Panshir told AFP by telephone that the announcements were false.
►
To read also: The Taliban on the offensive against the rebel Panshir valley
"Resistance continues"
According to the emergency services of the capital, two people were killed and 20 others injured in the shootings which led the chief spokesman of the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, to urge his supporters on Twitter to stop "
shooting. in the air
”and“
thank God instead
”.
Refugee in the Panshir valley, former vice-president Amrullah Saleh spoke of a "
very difficult situation
" in a video message broadcast Friday evening, while assuring that the "
resistance continues [has] and continues [rait]
".
According to Ahmad Massoud, who leads the resistance in the valley, the Taliban have proposed to allocate two seats to the FNR in the government they want to create.
But “
we were asking for a better future for Afghanistan.
We did not even consider
"their offer, added Wednesday the son of Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud assassinated in 2001 by Al Qaeda, believing that the Taliban had"
chosen the path of war
".
►
To listen: The Panshir valley "
represents a symbol of resistance
"
Undisclosed intentions
Since their return to power after a lightning military offensive that caught the government and the international community by surprise, the Taliban have tried to show a moderate face and have stepped up their gestures of openness.
In particular, they promised an “
inclusive
” government and have established contacts in recent weeks with Afghan personalities who are opposed to them.
But nothing has filtered at this stage on their real intentions or on the place they intend to grant to representatives of the opposition or to minorities.
The composition of their executive will therefore serve as a test of their real desire for change.
►
To listen: Afghanistan on the march towards a new Islamist order
Demonstration of women in Kabul
Long awaited on the issue of women's rights - the international community keeping in mind the brutality towards them during the first Taliban regime (1996-2001) - the new masters of the country assured that these rights would be respected.
But at the same time they hinted that there might be no female ministers, their presence falling rather on the lower echelons.
A perspective against which
several activists who demonstrated Thursday in Herat
were raised
.
"
We are not expecting anything from the formation of this Taliban government,"
explains Hanifa, a women's rights activist who lives in hiding in Kabul.
Joined by
Murielle Paradon
, from the international service of RFI, she assures us that "
the Taliban, as we know, do not listen to anything
"
.
They don't want women in their government.
We don't want anything from them.
Why are they cutting women's jobs?
Why do they want to lock them in poverty?
Why do they hit them?
These are our questions.
This situation is truly painful and unfair, but this is what the Taliban government is preparing for the people of Afghanistan.
In Kabul on Saturday, dozens of women also pounded the pavement for the second day in a row.
Present there, Taliban fighters were trying to disperse the rally and prevent people at the scene from filming the scene with their mobile phones, according to images posted on social networks.
"Really inclusive"
"
Because the Taliban do not respect the fundamental rights of Afghan women,
continues Hanifa,
the international community should not recognize the future government. On the contrary, we call on the international community to better protect Afghan women. She should control and monitor Taliban threats to Afghan women.
"
Several countries repeated Friday that the new regime would be judged by its actions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will be in Qatar from Monday to Wednesday, September 8, hoped that the government put in place by the Taliban would be "
really inclusive
", with "
non-Taliban who would be representative of different communities and different interests in Afghanistan
”.
Pakistani military intelligence chief Faiz Hameed was seen in Kabul on Saturday, where he is likely to meet with senior Taliban officials with whom Islamabad has close ties.
►
To read also: Vladimir Poutine hopes that the Taliban will become "
civilized
"
"Imminent humanitarian disaster"
Beyond security issues, whether related to the Panshir valley or the threat of the local branch of the Islamic State (IS-K), the urgency for the new regime will be above all economic.
Ravaged by more than four decades of conflict, the Afghan economy is in tatters, deprived of international aid on which it largely depends and which has largely been frozen.
"
Afghanistan is facing an imminent humanitarian disaster,
" warned the UN on Friday, which will hold a meeting between member states on September 13 in Geneva to increase humanitarian aid to the country.
At the forefront of international negotiations with the Taliban, Qatar has indicated for its part that it hopes to see “
humanitarian corridors
” open in Afghan airports within 48 hours.
►
To read also: The Emirates send a humanitarian plane to Afghanistan
Kabul airport reopened, according to Qatar
A technical team was able to reopen the Kabul airport, which will soon be operational to receive humanitarian aid and civilian flights, reported the Qatari ambassador to Afghanistan, quoted on Saturday by the
Al Jazeera channel
.
According to the diplomat, the runway at the airport in the Afghan capital has been repaired, in cooperation with the authorities of the country whose territory has been controlled by the Taliban for two weeks.
The Qatari news channel mentioned the resumption of domestic flights from Kabul to the cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar.
►
Read also: Faced with Afghan refugees, Central Asia is worried without panicking
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