Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210907

A30 world news
Diamars 7 september 2021

Taliban say they took Panjshir, last holdout Afghan province

ing to leave the country, but He did not say where that in- repairs, though it’s not clear
with Kabul’s airport not yet formation came from, and it when the airport will be up
running international flights, was not immediately possible and running.
their choices are few. In the to reconcile the two accounts.
country’s north, officials The State Department has The Taliban have pledged to
said Sunday that at least four said it has no reliable way to allow anyone with the prop-
planes chartered to evacu- confirm information about er legal documents to leave
ate several hundred people such charter flights. the country — and several
have been unable to leave the countries have said they are
country for days. But there But the U.S. has helped a watching closely to see if the
were conflicting accounts family of four American new rulers make good on
about why. citizens to flee through an that pledge. The Taliban have
overland route, according to generally promised to govern
The U.S. is under pressure American official. The offi- more moderately than when
to help the remaining Ameri- cial, who spoke on condition they were last in power in the
cans and green card holders of anonymity because they late 1990s and became global
(AP) — The Taliban said son of the iconic anti-Taliban leave the country, and it has were not authorized to speak pariahs for their harsh inter-
Monday they seized the fighter Ahmad Shah Mas- promised to work with the publicly due to the sensitivity pretation of Islamic law and
last province not in their soud. Experts had doubted new Taliban rulers do that of the matter, would not give restrictions on women.
control after their blitz that the holdout efforts could — but it has given no time- details of the evacuation or
through Afghanistan last succeed long-term against frame. say which country they went Still, experts did not think
month, overrunning forc- the Taliban, whose rapid ad- to. the anti-Taliban fighters in
es who had opposed their vance through Afghanistan An Afghan official at the air- Panjshir, the last holdout
takeover. met little resistance in the fi- port in the northern city of U.S. Secretary of State Anto- province, had much of a
nal days of America’s 20-year Mazar-e-Sharif said that the ny Blinken and Defense Sec- chance, even given the area’s
Thousands of Taliban fighters war in the country. would-be passengers were retary Lloyd Austin are trav- geographical advantage.
charged into eight districts of Afghans, many of whom eling to the Persian Gulf and
Panjshir province overnight, The U.S. withdrew its last did not have passports or vi- Europe this week to discuss Nestled in the towering Hin-
according to witnesses from troops a week ago and ended sas, and thus were unable to Afghanistan. du Kush mountains, the Pan-
the area who spoke on con- a harrowing airlift to evacu- leave. Speaking on condition jshir Valley has a single nar-
dition of anonymity because ate Western citizens and their of anonymity because he was Meanwhile, the Taliban say row entrance. Local fighters
they feared for their safety. Afghan allies that was marred not authorized to talk to re- they are working to repair Ka- held off the Soviets there in
Taliban spokesman Zabihul- by scenes of desperation and porters, he said they had left bul’s airport, where only do- the 1980s and also, for a brief
lah Mujahid confirmed that horrific violence. the airport while the situa- mestic flights have resumed time, the Taliban a decade
the province, which is north tion was being sorted out. and just during the day for later under the leadership of
of the capital, was now held During that evacuation, thou- now. Mujahid, the group’s Massoud.
by their fighters. sands of people descended on But the top Republican on spokesman, told reporters
Kabul’s airport, hoping to the U.S. House Foreign Af- Monday that American sol- Massoud’s son Ahmad called
“We tried our best to solve flee the country because they fairs Committee said that the diers destroyed equipment for an end to the fighting on
the problem through negoti- feared what the Taliban’s rule group included Americans before departing, includ- Sunday. The young British-
ations, and they rejected talks might hold, given their histo- and that they had boarded ing the critical radar system. schooled Massoud said his
and then we had to send our ry of repression, particularly planes but the Taliban were The U.S. has said troops de- forces were ready to lay down
forces to fight,” Mujahid told of women. At one point, an not letting them take off, ef- stroyed military equipment their weapons but only if the
a news conference in Kabul Islamic State suicide bomber fectively “holding them hos- but left equipment useful for Taliban agreed to end their
later Monday. targeted the crowds, killing tage.” Rep. Michael McCaul running a civilian airport, like assault. Late on Sunday doz-
169 Afghans and 13 Ameri- of Texas told “Fox News fire trucks. ens of vehicles loaded with
The resisting forces were led can service members. Sunday” that American citi- Taliban fighters were seen
by the former vice president, zens and Afghan interpreters Technical experts from Qa- swarming into the Panjshir
Amrullah Saleh, and also the Many people are still hop- were being kept on six planes. tar and Turkey have begun Valley.

Israel searches for 6 Palestinians after rare prison break

(AP) — Israel launched a massive coordination with Israel, which is of a heavily guarded prison in Gaza
manhunt in the country’s north deeply unpopular among Palestin- It appeared to be the biggest Pales- months before the outbreak of the
and the occupied West Bank early ians. There was no immediate com- tinian escape from an Israeli prison first intifada, or Palestinian uprising
Monday after six Palestinian pris- ment from the PA, but President since 1987, when six militants from against Israel.
oners tunneled out of their cell Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party praised the Islamic Jihad group broke out
and escaped from a high-secu- the escape.
rity facility in the biggest prison
break of its kind in decades. Israeli officials said they have erected
roadblocks and are conducting pa-
The escape marks an embarrassing trols in the area. Israel’s Army Radio
security breach just ahead of the Jew- said 400 prisoners are being moved as
ish New Year, when Israelis flock to a protective measure against any ad-
the north to enjoy beaches, campsites ditional escape attempts. The radio
and the Sea of Galilee. The prisoners said the prisoners escaped through a
appear to have gone into hiding and tunnel from the Gilboa prison, just
there was no indication Israeli au- north of the West Bank, which is sup-
thorities view them as an immediate posed to be one of Israel’s most se-
threat. cure facilities.

Palestinians consider prisoners held A photo released by the prison service
by Israel to be heroes of their national showed a narrow hole in the floor of
cause, and many celebrated the escape a cell, and Israeli security forces could
on social media. Efforts to capture the be seen examining a similar hole on a
escapees will likely draw attention to stretch of gravel just outside the walls
the Palestinian Authority’s security of the prison.