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KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban flag fluttered above the Afghan Presidential Palace on the same day the United States and the world marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Saturday’s milestone anniversary comes just weeks after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return to power of the Taliban, the faction that housed the Muslim militant group founded by Osama bin Laden that carried out the attacks.
The Taliban flag was hoisted on Friday and could be seen flying above the presidential palace in Kabul on Saturday. The militant group also painted their white flag as a backdrop on the front door of the United States Embassy building.
The United States is expected to mark the anniversary of September 11 with commemorations at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
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KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban shot dead Amrullah Saleh’s brother, the former vice president of Afghanistan, and his driver in northern Panjshir province, Saleh’s nephew said on Saturday.
Shuresh Saleh said his uncle Rohullah Azizi was driving somewhere in a car on Thursday when Taliban fighters stopped him at a checkpoint. “As we hear when the Taliban shot him and his driver at the checkpoint.” he said.
A message left with a Taliban spokesperson on Saturday was not immediately returned.
Shuresh Saleh said it was not clear where his uncle, an anti-Taliban fighter, was heading when the Taliban caught him. He said phones were not working in the area.
Amrullah Saleh led the Taliban resistance forces in Panjshir, which was the last recalcitrant province to be invaded by the new Afghan rulers.
Videos circulating on social media allegedly show the Taliban opening fire on anti-Taliban Panjshir fighters whom they have arrested.
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MORE ABOUT AFGHANISTAN:
– United States gives first public look inside the base housing Afghans
– A raises alarm on the Taliban’s crackdown on dissent, journalists
– Pentagon chief: al-Qaida may seek to return in afghanistan
– Analysis: the Taliban’s hard line aggravates the Afghan dilemma
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– Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/afghanistan
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KABUL, Afghanistan – More than 250 foreign nationals have left Afghanistan in the past three days, said Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s special envoy and maker of an often-criticized deal with the Taliban.
The deal signed last year called for the safe withdrawal of US and NATO troops, but said its criticism weighed heavily in favor of the hardline Islamist movement.
In a series of tweets, Khalilzad praised both the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, whose national airline has carried out the flights, and the “Taliban’s cooperation in this important effort” for the recent departure of foreign nationals. from Afghanistan.
“We will continue to engage the government of Qatar, the Taliban and others to ensure the safe passage of our citizens, other foreign nationals and Afghans who want to leave,” Khalilzad tweeted.
However, hundreds of Afghans, including US citizens and green card holders, remain stranded in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, waiting to be evacuated, but arrested by Taliban leaders demanding travel documents.
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