Now the Taliban are struggling to secure international aid and diplomatic recognition. The Taliban cooperated with U.S. military evacuation efforts, but that does not mean more cooperation is coming, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday. The Taliban are also fighting stubborn opposition forces led by National Resistance Front leaders in Panjshir Province and other regions in northern Afghanistan, where fierce anti-Taliban sentiment has always been strong. There were competing claims Wednesday, with Taliban supporters saying their fighters had made advances and resistance leaders saying they had beaten back a Taliban assault. Panjshir, a stronghold of former Northern Alliance commanders, was one of the few areas in Afghanistan not under Taliban control when the group governed the country from 1996 to 2001.

Source: International New York Times September 01, 2021 19:01 UTC