Taliban claims it controls whole of Afghanistan after taking Panjshir province

The Taliban claims it is now in charge of the whole of Afghanistan after taking complete control of Panjshir province, the last area being held by resistance forces.

Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the area had been "completely conquered" and a "number of people" were killed, while the "rest fled".

But the opposition group, National Resistance Front (NRF), said the "Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false".

Image: Taliban fighters outside the governor's office in the Annaba district of Panjshir

It added: "The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.

"We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails."

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The head of foreign relations for the NRF has confirmed that the group's leader, Ahmad Massoud, is "safe and will be giving a message soon".

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Mujahid claimed there had been no civilian casualties in the takeover of Panjshir, despite claims that NRF members had been killed.

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The Taliban said electricity and internet would resume in the province from Monday and that efforts to restart international flights from Kabul would also begin.

Image: A view of a flagpole with the Taliban flag in Panjshir

Mr Mujahid added that government formation is still ongoing as "some technical things are left", but countries will be invited to the government ceremony when it is finalised.

He also said the supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah, is alive and will be seen in public soon.

Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts in the province overnight, according to witnesses in the area.

Panjshir was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces and the only province the group had not seized during their takeover of the country.

The deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said it had "taken control of the most important areas in Panjshir", and are carrying out "operations in a manner that local people are not harmed".

Image: Ahmadullah Wasiq said Taliban fighters are operating to ensure 'local people are not harmed'

He added: "We are performing operations in a tactical manner to force the resistance movement to vacate the area. As per our information, Panjshir will come under Islamic Emirate very soon.

"The resistance movement is trying to provide hope to the very few people and encourage them to fight through such claims against us, aiming for their financial gains and to hold on to their power.

"But I don't think they would be able to fulfil their desires. As Panjshir is a province of Afghanistan, it should also come under the regime."

The group also sought to reassure local people, saying that they "will not be subjected to any discrimination, that all are our brothers, and that we will serve a country and a common goal".

UK armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News that the government had been hearing that the Taliban had gained control of Panjshir but it was currently hard to independently verify the claim.

He said: "I don't think the situation in Panjshir, whatever it is, really changes our calculus.

"From the moment Kabul fell, the Taliban were effectively the government of Afghanistan with whom we needed to work with, in the immediate term, in order to facilitate the evacuation of UK nationals and other people who were entitled to come to the UK.

Image: Armed forces minister James Heappey said it is hard to independently verify the Taliban takeover of Panjshir

"That doesn't mean we recognise the Taliban and if this is correct, that they have been successful in Panjshir overnight, that doesn't change anything in terms of our willingness to recognise them.

"It will be their actions in government, not their military prowess that determines when and how they are recognised in the international community".

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on 15 August after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled.

The British Army's former chief of general staff, General Lord Richard Dannatt told Sky News, there have been "conflicting messages" about the Taliban takeover of Panjshir.

He said: "The Panjshir Valley is difficult ground for an attacking force to completely dominate... and we are getting conflicting messages here, the Taliban are saying they are in control and the northern alliance as it were, the remnants of them, are saying they are still holding on.

Image: General Lord Dannatt said the 'big issue' for the West is what kind of relationship they are going, or not, going to have with the Taliban

"I suspect the fact of the matter is that they will still be holding on in some difficult mountainous areas, and probably will continue to do so but I don't think it gets over the fact that the majority of Afghanistan is now under the control of the Taliban and they will establish there own government".

He added that the "big issue for the West and other countries is what kind of relationship" they are going to have, or not have, with the Taliban.

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Taliban celebrates as last US troops leave Kabul

"Certainly, if we want to aspire to get more entitled people out of that country we have got to have some form of relationship in order to grant some form of safe passage for those people out of the country", he said.

The Taliban said it wants good relations with the world, saying China is a big economic power and is very important for Afghanistan.

Resistance fighters had been led by the former vice president and the son of the anti-Taliban fighter, Ahmad Shah Massoud, who was killed just days before the September 11 attacks in 2001.

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Massoud's son, Ahmad, issued a statement on Sunday, calling for an end to the fighting. He said his forces were ready to lay down their weapons - but only if the Taliban agreed to end their assault.

However, late yesterday, dozens of vehicles loaded with Taliban fighters were seen swarming into Panjshir Valley.

The group tweeted that its forces had overrun Rokha district, one of the largest of eight districts in the province.

Several Taliban delegations had attempted negotiations with fighters in the area, but without success.

Image: Members of the Taliban Intelligence Special Forces guard the military airfield in Kabul

Meanwhile, at least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said on Sunday.

There have been conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights have not been able to take off, as pressure ramps up on the US to help those left behind to flee.

An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said the would-be passengers were Afghanistan citizens, many of whom did not have passports or visas and were therefore unable to leave the country.

But, a top Republican on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee said the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively "holding them hostage."

Michael McCaul told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

US-led foreign forces evacuated about 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans in the weeks before the last US troops left the country.

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