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Developments in Afghanistan

Taliban retake another area in Panjshir from resistance forces — Afghan agency

No statement has followed yet from the resistance forces

© AP Photo/Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi

TEHRAN, September 1. /TASS/. The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) have won back another district in the northern Afghan region of Panjshir from resistance forces, Afghanistan’s Akhtar news agency said on Wednesday citing the radical movement.

The news agency reported that the Shuttle district was the focus of attention, and that ten resistance fighters were killed and several more wounded. The Taliban seized two tanks, an armored fighting vehicle and ammunition. No statement has followed yet from the resistance forces.

Earlier in the day, Amir Khan Muttaqi, head of the Taliban leadership commission, said that the talks between the Taliban and Panjshir resistance forces had failed. The Ashwaka news agency reported that the clashes between the resistance forces and the Taliban are ongoing in some areas of Panjshir, Parwan and Baghlan Provinces.

On Tuesday, the Taliban claimed that they had managed to take control over three crucial areas and passes in Panjshir and that they would declare "a total victory" in the coming days. Later, the resistance forces denied this information.

The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) mounted a massive operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military personnel from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, and the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance. The forces opposing the Taliban rule offered resistance, which was headed by Ahmad Massoud, in Panjshir Province. Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself "caretaker president," urged the country to support it.

On February 14, 2003, Russia’s Supreme Court handed down a ruling declaring the Taliban to be a terrorist organization, which is outlawed in Russia.

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Power transfer in Afghanistan

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