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Taliban disperse Kabul rally, arrest journalists

As many Afghans took to the streets staging small, isolated demonstrations in various cities, including the capital Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, the Taliban on Tuesday fired shots into the air to disperse crowds. The protesters, mainly women, had gathered for an anti-Pakistan rally in the capital, the latest protest since the hardline Islamist movement swept to power last month.

Tuesday’s demonstration comes after the Taliban claimed total control over Afghanistan a day earlier, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last holdout of resistance against their rule. The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), however, rejected their claim and said “the NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight” against the Taliban.

“Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said in a press conference on Monday. However, Ahmad Massoud, son of a hero of the resistance to the Soviets and the Taliban, remained defiant and said that the NRFA is still fighting strategically and that the valley is still not captured by Taliban.

Earlier on Monday, Taliban announced that Mullah Baradar, the militant group co-founder, would head the government. Hours after this announcement, however, the Taliban postponed the formation of the government by a week.