With Panjshir conquered, Taliban to announce Afghan govt soon, invite China, Russia, Pakistan to ceremony

Kabul: With the rebellion in Panjshir ended, the Taliban on Monday said that they have intensified the process for government formation which would be done in the next few days, and have invited Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar to participate in the announcement ceremony.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, in an address after the fall of the northeastern province of Panjshir, said: “More preparations have been made for 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,” he said.

He said that initially the Taliban would have a caretaker government “so that there is room for reform, change and other fundamental steps”.

On elections, he said: “There is no election in sight for now, the government will decide how the next procedure will proceed.”

“We have invited Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar to participate in the day of the government's announcement,” he told a news channel separately.

He also backed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, and said the CPEC is a "useful project" for the whole of Asia and that Afghanistan “is determined to seek implementation of its part of the project”.

Mujahid said that humanitarian aid is coming from the United Arab Emirates, Oman and some other countries.

He also called on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan."

Earlier in the day, the Resistance forces led by Ahmad Massoud were defeated and the Taliban unfurled their white flag at the governor's house in the Panjshir provincial capital of Bazarak. With Panjshir fallen all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan are now under the Taliban control.

The holdout province was overrun after days of intense fighting between Massoud's National Resistance Front forces and the Taliban. The resistance forces have alleged that the Taliban were being actively helped by Pakistan with air and ground support.