The U.S. Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Summary:

• Ahmad Massoud, an anti-Taliban leader, wants to hold peaceful negotiations with the Taliban, stating “that the only way forward is through negotiation.” He is also ready to fight if necessary.
• Massoud expressed his desire for an inclusive government in Kabul that includes all ethnic groups, while urging the international community to fight against a “totalitarian regime”.
• The anti-Taliban forces also include “many other people from many other provinces who are seeking refuge in the Panjshir valley who are standing with us and who do not want to accept another identity for Afghanistan,” according to Massoud.
• Three districts near the Panjshir Valley are claimed to have been taken by groups opposing the Taliban, according to ​​a tweet by Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi.
• Troops leading a resistance effort against the Taliban are meeting in the Panjshir Valley, where the Taliban announced they are sending “hundreds” of fighters.
• Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, a Taliban leader, emphasised the Taliban’s goal to “provide safety to the Afghan people,” but many are hesitant to believe this will be the reality.
• The British army announced that seven people had died at the gates of Kabul airport on Saturday, and a total of 20 people are believed to have been killed in the past week.
• US President Joe Biden expressed openness to extending the August 31st deadline for the withdrawal of American troops, but hopes it is not necessary. The UK has stated that the US should extend the deadline.
• The US has called on commercial airlines to assist in evacuations from safe sites outside of Afghanistan.
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urgently called a G7 meeting “to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.”
• The US Air Force shared that an Afghan woman gave birth in the aircraft’s cargo hold after it landed in Germany, with both the baby and mother currently in good condition.
• The situation in Kabul airport is increasingly desperate, with thousands waiting at the gates and in surrounding areas to evacuate. There have been cases with families being split up and sent to different countries.

Sources:

• https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/anti-taliban-forces-say-theyve-taken-three-districts-afghanistans-north-2021-08-21/
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/22/afghanistan-taliban-fighters-panjshir-valley
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58299804

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Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Tweets:

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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