Taliban says Panjshir 'captured'; ISI chief holds meet with Baradar

Won't allow Pakistan to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs: Taliban

The Taliban claimed victory over opposition forces in the Panjshir valley northeast of Kabul on Monday, declaring that they had completed their takeover of Afghanistan and promising to announce a new government soon.

Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor's compound after fighting over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), commanded by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud. “Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference.

However, Massoud, who leads a force drawn from the remnants of the regular Afghan army as well as local militia fighters, remained defiant and did not concede defeat.

“We are in Panjshir and our Resistance will continue," he said on Twitter. His exact whereabouts were unclear. He also said he was safe, but gave no details. Taliban spokesman Mujahid said he had been told that Massoud and former vice president Amrullah Saleh had escaped to neighbouring Tajikistan. Mujahid also told reporters that the Taliban would announce a new government “within days” — one that would be inclusive, he said, without elaborating. Once the government is formed, members of the former Afghan army and security forces would be asked to return to work, he added.

“We need their expertise,” he said. Members of the previous Afghan security forces would then join with Taliban fighters to form a single army, Mujahid added. 

Meanwhile, the Taliban on Monday confirmed that Pakistan's powerful intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed has met its de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, amidst efforts by the insurgent group to finalise a government in Afghanistan. 

Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week, becoming the only high-ranking foreign official to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital in mid-August. The Taliban has assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, it said.

The Taliban, however, asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group's de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

On Sunday, the Taliban said that the Pakistani spy chief was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral relations between Kabul and Islamabad.