LIVE: Anti-Taliban forces claim to have 3 districts in Afghanistan's north

Fitch Solutions also said that its currency may slide further than it already has following Taliban's takeover

Fitch Solutions said on Friday that Afghanistan's economy could shrink by as much as 20 per cent this year and its currency may slide further than it already has following the Taliban's takeover.

"It is likely that the economy will contract sharply this year," Anwita Basu, head of Asia Country Risk at Fitch Solutions - the analysis and research arm of Fitch Group - told Reuters. "Countries facing similar circumstances like Myanmar and Syria have seen their GDPs collapse by around 10-20%, which can't be ruled out for Afghanistan too."  

Read the latest updates on Afghanistan crisis here

Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has raised alarm over the ongoing situation in Afghanistan after Taliban took over the country after a swift offensive.

"UNDP joins the call of millions of Afghans and others around the world for peace, respect for human rights, and access to development assistance for all in Afghanistan -- irrespective of their gender, religion, ethnic background, professional affiliation or political beliefs," UNDP said in a statement.

9:46 PM

Taliban attacked ITBP contingent, soldier returned from Afghanistan tells family

The Taliban have attacked Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, a part of Indian Army contingent in Afghanistan while they were leaving the country. The soldier who has returned from the war torn country has shared his horrific experience with his family members.

Shaila K. Neelagar, aunt of Ravi Neelagar, a soldier attached to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) who returned safely to India from Afghanistan five days ago, has shared some of the information given by Ravi to them on Taliban's attack on Indian soldiers.

"Ravi told us that, when 200 of them were being evacuated from Afghanistan, their contingent was attacked by Taliban terrorists. When soldiers were boarding the flight, the Taliban tried to prevent them. They even snatched their luggage," she said.

Ravi was very sad that he lost all his belongings but family comforted him by saying his safe return is everything that matters to them. "He is in quarantine and will come back home after 20 days for holidays," she said.

Ravi was discharging duties in Afghanistan for 2 years

8:37 PM

Anti-Taliban forces say they've taken three districts in Afghanistan's north

Forces holding out against the Taliban in northern Afghanistan say they have taken three districts close to the Panjshir valley where remnants of government forces and other militia groups have gathered, Reuters reported.

 

Defence Minister General Bismillah Mohammadi, who has vowed to resist the Taliban, said in a tweet that the districts of Deh Saleh, Bano and Pul-Hesar in the neighbouring province of Baghlan to the north of Panjshir had been taken.

 

It was not immediately clear what forces were involved but the incident adds to scattered indications of opposition to the Taliban who swept to power in a lightning campaign that saw them take all of Afghanistan's main cities in a week.

 

Local television station Tolo News quoted a local police commander who said Bano district in Baghlan was under the control of local militia forces and said there had been heavy casualties.

6:27 PM

Karzai, Abdullah meet Taliban’s Kabul appointee

Former President Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, met with Abdul Rahman Mansour, the acting governor of Kabul for the Taliban.

 

“We discussed the security of the citizens of Kabul, & reiterated that protecting the life, property & dignity of the citizens of the capital should be prioritised,” Abdullah said in a post on Twitter. “We added that in order to return to normality in the capital Kabul, it is imperative that citizens of the capital feel safe & secure. Mr Mansour assured us that he would do everything possible for the security of the people of Kabul.”

 

Abdullah was once Afghanistan’s chief executive in a power-sharing agreement with exiled President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country as the Taliban entered the capital.

 

Abdullah also said he and Karzai met with Afghan leaders and politicians in recent days to discuss the current situation and ways of providing security to Afghans, especially those in Kabul. The meetings were with members of parliament and women activists, as well as with elders, religious scholars and the commanders of Panjshir Province.

5:14 PM

Taliban to ready model for governing Afghanistan in coming weeks

Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar has arrived in Kabul for talks with other leaders to hammer out a new Afghan government, a Taliban official said on Saturday, almost a week after the Islamist militants took over the capital without resistance.

 

The Taliban completed their sudden advance across the country as U.S.-led forces pulled out, coinciding with what German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said was the "breathtaking collapse" of the Afghan army.

 

The Taliban official said that the group planned to ready a new model for governing Afghanistan within the next few weeks, with separate teams to tackle internal security and financial issues. READ HERE. 

3:57 PM

'No incident like kidnapping has occurred'

3:11 PM

All Indians citizens in Kabul awaiting evacuation are safe: Sources

2:59 PM

Taliban official says no foreigners kidnapped, but some being questioned

The Taliban have not kidnapped any foreigner, although some of them are being questioned before being allowed to leave Afghanistan, an official of the Islamist militant group said on Saturday.

 

Just a week after the Taliban's swift takeover of the south Asian nation, Western nations have struggled to ramp up the pace of evacuations amid chaos and reports of violence by the insurgents.

 

"Our fighters will continue to demonstrate restraint," the Taliban official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

2:35 PM

14 arrested for social media posts supporting Taliban: Assam Police

1:33 PM

'Documents of Indians being processed for evacuation'

1:01 PM

No more, say Austria and Greece to more war-weary migrants from Afghanistan

Aided by traffickers, Afghan youth are already beginning to trickle into eastern Turkey. Rescued by NATO countries, other Afghans have begun landing on European soil following the Taliban takeover of Kabul this Sunday.

With a huge Afghan migration issue staring at Europe in the face, the countries are tightening their belts. Austria has already said that it would prefer to have deportation centres in Afghanistan's neighbourhood. It has also suggested providing aid close to Afghanistan to stem a possible flood of refugees.

1:00 PM

'Terror outfits congratulating Taliban raises concerns for India'

The international terror outfits congratulating Taliban for taking over Afghanistan have raised serious concerns not only for India but for other central Asian countries, experts have observed.

 

Describing the Taliban's takeover of the war torn country as emancipation of Afghan, the Al-Qaeda In Arabian Peninsula (AQIP)has issued an statement on August 18 said, "This victory and empowerment reveals to us that jihad and fighting represent the (Islamic law)-based, legal, and realistic way to restore rights (and) expel the invaders and occupiers."

12:59 PM

IAF plane departs from Kabul with Afghan leaders, Indian citizens

An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft on Saturday departed from from the Kabul airport with some eminent Afghan leaders, including public representatives from the Hindu and Sikh communities, as well as 85 Indians on board, sources here said.

 

The sources said that the IAF's C-130J transport plane landed in Tajikistan for refuelling and is likely to arrive at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad on Saturday evening, they added.

12:59 PM

Facebook allows users in Afghanistan to instantly lock their accounts

Facebook has launched a one-click tool for people in Afghanistan to quickly lock down their account, as the Taliban has regained control of the war-torn country.

 

When their profile is locked, people who aren't their friends can't download or share their profile photo or see posts on their timeline, said Facebook's head of security policy Nathaniel Gleicher.

 

"On Instagram, we're rolling out pop-up alerts in Afghanistan with specific steps on how to protect your account," he said in a series of tweets late on Friday.

12:14 PM

In Kabul, a fearful wait for US to deliver on evacuation vow

Tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan waited nervously on Saturday to see whether the United States would deliver on President Joe Biden's new pledge to evacuate all Americans and all Afghans who aided the war effort, as US helicopters plucked people from locations beyond the teeming, chaotic Kabul airport and its Taliban checkpoints.

 

Time is running out ahead of Biden's Aug 31 deadline to withdraw most remaining US troops, and the president on Friday night did not commit to extending it. He faces growing criticism as videos depict pandemonium and occasional violence outside the airport, and as vulnerable Afghans who fear the Taliban's retaliation send desperate pleas not to be left behind.

 

12:12 PM

Germany airlifts another 172 evacuees from Kabul to Tashkent

The Airbus A400M military transport aircraft of the German Air Force delivered another 172 evacuees from the Afghan capital to Uzbekistan, an employee of the Tashkent International Airport told Sputnik on Saturday.

 

"Last night, an Airbus A-400M of the German Air Force delivered another group of evacuees from Kabul, with 172 passengers on board," an airport official said, adding that they would then fly to Frankfurt.

 

After the security situation in Afghanistan worsened, Uzbekistan served as an intermediate evacuation point for Afghan nationals seeking escape to foreign countries. On Thursday, the Uzbek transport ministry told Sputnik that Tashkent loaned its aircraft to Germany for evacuation at the request of the German embassy in Uzbekistan.