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Taliban claim control of Panjshir, promise possible care-taker govt ‘soon’

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The Taliban on Monday claimed victory over resistance forces in Panjshir province, the last province to fall.

Announcing the development, the Taliban said it has completed its take over of Afghanistan and will soon announce a new government.

Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gates of the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound following clashes over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), led by Ahmad Massoud.

"Panjshir, which was the last hideout of the escapee enemy, is captured," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference in Kabul.

“We wanted to resolve the Panjshir issue through talks, we tried very hard. But some who had fled Kabul, carrying weapons and vehicles from the treasury, wanted to disturb the nation. They responded negatively to our delegations,” Mujahid added.

Earlier, he had said: "With this victory and latest efforts, our country has come out of the whirlpool of war and our people will have a happy life in peace, liberty and freedom."

According to the report the Taliban assured the people of Panjshir that there would be no "discriminatory acts against them".

"The people living in the proud valley of Panjshir are an integral part of our body. They are our brothers. There is no bias against them. All the rights that our other countrymen have, the people of Panjshir also have," Mujahid said.

Massoud, who leads a force drawn from remnants of regular Afghan army and Special Forces units, said in a Twitter message he was safe.

But Massoud rejects the Taliban's complete takeover of Panjshir and insists on continuing the fight against the Taliban.

In his new message, Massoud called for a national uprising.

Mujahid meanwhile said he had been told that Massoud and former vice president Amrullah Saleh had fled the country to neighbouring Tajikistan.

“The influential and jihadi commanders of the people of Panjshir are in coordination with us. These operations were also carried out with their help.

“Those who caused the sedition are still missing,” Mujahid said.

Before Mujahid’s press conference, Ali Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations at NRFA, said the Taliban's claim of victory was false and opposition forces continued to fight, Reuters reported.

"The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight," he said on his Facebook page.

This comes after the NRF lost two of its commanders in fighting with the Taliban in Panjshir on Sunday.

Fahim Dashti, who was spokesperson of the NRF, and General Abdul Wudod Zara, a relative of NRF leader Ahmad Massoud, were killed in clashes with the Taliban, according to an NRF statement.

"Regretfully, the National Resistance of Afghanistan lost two compatriots in the holy resistance against oppression and aggression today. Mr. Fahim Dashti, NRF spokesperson, and General Abdul Wudod Zara were martyred. May their memory be eternal!," read the NRF statement.

Dashti was a senior member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party and a member of the Federation of Afghan Journalists.

Meanwhile, Massoud said in a voice message shared on his Facebook page that Sunday’s attack made it clear that foreign forces had aligned with the Taliban and were still present.

“What is happening today is a small picture of the future of Afghanistan, the future that foreigners, with the help of these representatives and their mercenaries, want to establish in Afghanistan and want an Afghanistan that is backward, dark, far from any culture and Art, and unity, as well as an Afghan in economic and political isolation from the world,” Massoud said.

“Our compatriots, wherever you are, both outside and inside, call on you to start a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and pride of our homeland,” Massoud added.

Meanwhile, reports indicate the Taliban are close to announcing a new government. However, Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, rejected reports of internal “disagreements”. He said however that the government might initially be a caretaker system.

“Preparations have been made for the announcement of the government, only technical work remains, we are also in a hurry. In the next few days we will witness the announcement of the government,” Mujahid said.

“The government will probably be a caretaker government for now, with room for reform, change and other fundamental steps,” he added.

On the other hand Mujahid said that the Taliban were not involved in Fahim Dashti's death and that he was killed as a result of the NRF’s internal differences.

Mujahid also said women were back at work in the health and education sectors and "other fields will be provided, one by one, once the system has been established for them".

“We have just emerged from the crisis, women, men and all sections of society are expected not to protest. Until a responsible and accountable authority is appointed, it is hoped to wait,” Mujahid said.

Mujahid also said that the private sector has assured them that they will move their funds from abroad.

“The good news is that all businessmen and the private sector have assured us that they will relocate all their capital from abroad and build their homeland,” Mujahid said.

Meanwhile Iran responded to the Panjshir situation and said it was “worrying”.

"The news coming from Panjshir is worrying news," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news conference on Monday. "Last night's attacks are strongly condemned."

Iran's foreign ministry added that foreign involvement in the Panjshir war should be investigated and that Iran was considering the matter.

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Canada sent 19 failed asylum seekers back to Afghanistan last year

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Canada's border guards sent 19 rejected Afghan asylum seekers back to the country last year despite Otawa’s Temporary Suspension of Removals (TSR) that has been in place for Afghan nationals since 1994.

CBC reported that none of the 19 Afghans had their cases rejected on the basis of safety or security risks. The border service did not however reveal further details.

The border agency said a TSR is meant to "halt removals to a country or place when general conditions, such as armed conflict or an environmental disaster, pose a risk to the entire civilian population."

It also said individuals who were found inadmissible "on grounds of criminality, serious criminality, international or human rights violations, organized crime, or security" can be removed despite a TSR, CBC reported.

The CBSA said the 19 who failed their refugee claims left Canada "voluntarily," and that the Afghans were "aware that they benefit from a stay of removal due to the Temporary Suspension of Removal on Afghanistan but requested to have their removal order enforced despite the legislative stay.

"In other words, the individual was advised that they can remain in Canada until the TSR is lifted and they opted to return to Afghanistan."

Canada has welcomed some 54,000 Afghans since August 2021, surpassing a commitment it made to bring in 40,000 in 2021.

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Trump team compiling list of military officers responsible for US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 

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The Trump transition team is compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers who were directly involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and exploring whether they could be court-martialed. 
 
NBC reported that the team working on the transition of power between President-elect Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden are considering creating a commission to investigate the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
 
Citing a US official and a person familiar with the plan, NBC stated a commission would then gather information about who was directly involved in the decision-making for the military, how it was carried out, and whether the military leaders could be eligible for charges as serious as treason.
 
“They’re taking it very seriously,” the person with knowledge of the plan said.
 
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
Matt Flynn, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, is helping lead the effort, the sources said. 
 
Trump has on a number of occasions condemned the withdrawal as a “humiliation” and “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.” 
 
NBC reports however that it is not clear what would legally justify “treason” charges since the military officers were following the orders of President Joe Biden to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
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Ottawa taking detention of Canadian in Afghanistan ‘very seriously’

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

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The Canadian government is taking "very seriously" the detention in Afghanistan of a former member of Canada's elite special forces, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.

Retired soldier David Lavery, known in Kabul as Canadian Dave, was detained by the Islamic Emirate shortly after landing in Kabul on Monday, according to Canadian broadcaster CTV News.

His whereabouts are unknown, the outlet added, citing unnamed sources.

Asked about Lavery, Trudeau said: "I can first of all assure you that the Canadian government is taking very, very seriously the situation."

He also said consular assistance has been provided to Lavery's family.

Lavery helped an estimated 100 Afghans flee Kabul during the chaotic withdrawal of US and allied forces.

He spent decades in the Canadian military and is said to have been a key member of its elite Joint Task Force 2 special operations unit.

More recently, Lavery has reportedly operated a private security firm in Kabul.

The Islamic Emirate has not yet commented.

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