According to reports, several people have been shot dead in Nangarhar by the Taliban during rallies.
Members of the Taliban opened fire on people rallying in support of the Afghan national flag in the eastern Nangarhar province, a local source told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Some people were killed and others were injured, the source continued.
Meanwhile, Aljazeera reported that at least two people were killed and 12 injured in the Jalalabad clashes. The report says clashes erupted after hundreds of Afghan people took to the streets to show support for the national flag.
UAE says hosting Afghan president ‘on humanitarian grounds’
The United Arab Emirates said that it is hosting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani “on humanitarian grounds”, after he fled his country amid a Taliban takeover.
“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” it said in a brief statement.
UK to take 5,000 Afghan refugees this year: PM
The British government says it will take in 5,000 Afghan refugees this year, primarily women and children, as lawmakers pack Parliament for a heated emergency debate on the UK response to the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has come under fire for the chaotic turn of events in Afghanistan, said a new “generous” refugee settlement program would allow up to 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to seek sanctuary in the UK in the coming years.
That number is over and above the 5,000 or so Afghan allies the UK is trying to evacuate from Kabul’s international airport.
Afghan minister of defense calls on Interpol to arrest Ghani
Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi called on Interpol on Wednesday to arrest President Ashraf Ghani, who abdicated and fled from Afghanistan, for “selling out the motherland.”
“Those trading and selling out their motherland should be punished and arrested,” Mohammadi wrote on Twitter, adding hashtag #InterpolArrestGhani.
On Wednesday, the Afghan embassy in Tajikistan also requested Interpol to detain Ghani on embezzlement charges.
On Sunday, the Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan by entering Kabul. Ghani resigned and fled abroad, escorted by cars filled with cash, the Russian embassy told Sputnik on Monday.
Afghan girls return to school in Herat after Taliban takeover
Girls wearing white hijabs and black tunics are streaming into classrooms in the western Afghan city of Herat just days after the Taliban’s takeover.
Stampede near Kabul Airport gate injures at least 17 people
At least 17 people were injured in a stampede at a gate at the airport in Kabul, Reuters reported, citing a NATO security official.
This comes as Afghan civilians have been gathering in crowds outside the airport, trying to flee the country after the Taliban took control of the country last week. The people are being told not to arrive at the airport unless they have a passport and a visa to travel, the official added, as quoted by the agency.
Abdullah, Karzai meet with senior Taliban leader: report
Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan government’s chief negotiator in national reconciliation talks, and former President Hamid Karzai met with senior Taliban member Anas Haqqani on Wednesday, media said.
Tolo News cited sources as saying that the meeting took place in Kabul and involved other Taliban militants. Haqqani is a member of the Taliban’s Doha-based political office and a senior leader of the militant Haqqani Network.
The Taliban swept over Afghanistan in the past months and seized the capital of Kabul on Sunday, taking NATO members by surprise. Thousands have been trying to flee the country on NATO jets from the Kabul airport, which is under US military control.
China set to establish diplomatic ties with Afghanistan
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Beijing will establish new diplomatic relations with Afghanistan after the situation stabilizes.
The Ministry also said China would help Afghanistan after the Taliban establishes control over the country.
Exiled Taliban co-founder returns to Afghanistan
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban, arrives back in Afghanistan, according to reports.
He chose to touch down on Tuesday night in Afghanistan’s second-biggest city Kandahar – the Taliban’s spiritual birthplace and capital during their first time in power.
He arrived from Qatar, where he has spent months leading talks with the United States and the Afghan peace negotiators.
Footage released by pro-Taliban media showed crowds gathering around Baradar at the airport, pumping their fists in the air and chanting in celebration.
Ghani may be residing in UAE: report
According to some unconfirmed Afghan media reports, Ashraf Ghani and his family have arrived in UAE’s Abu Dhabi.
This is while, earlier reports had named Oman, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as destinations of Ghani after he fled Afghanistan.
Taliban vows peaceful dialogue with former Afghan officials
A spokesman for the Taliban told Reuters on Wednesday that the movement will engage in peaceful dialogue with former Afghan government officials to ensure they feel secure.
The spokesman also said that the Taliban were ordered not to celebrate the seizure of power, since “victory belongs to Afghanistan.”
Taliban urges Afghan civilians to hand over their weapons
A spokesman for the Taliban said that Afghan civilians must hand over their weapons and ammunition to authorized Taliban members.
Any complaint by civilians against any Taliban member will be investigated, the spokesman also pledged, according to Reuters.
UN refugee agency wants to keep working in Afghanistan
According to Al-Jazeera, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says it wants to continue working in Afghanistan.
“We want to stay in the country because the people there need help now more than ever,” said Katharina Lumpp, the UNHCR representative in Germany.
“Most of the Afghans who have been displaced in the past few months are currently internally displaced in their own country,” she told the German daily Die Welt. “They now urgently need support and humanitarian aid.”
Evacuations from Kabul speed up
According to reports, different countries are sending planes to Kabul to evacuate their citizens and staff.
Over 2,200 people have been evacuated on military flights from Kabul, reports indicate.
