lørdag 4. september 2021

China to keep Kabul embassy open and ‘beef up’ relations, say Taliban

China has promised to keep its embassy in Kabul open and “beef up” relations, the Taliban have said, as Afghanistan’s new rulers worked on preparing their new government and winning international recognition. A spokesman for the Islamist militia, Suhail Shaheen, said on Friday a senior member of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar had been told by China’s deputy foreign minister that Beijing also aimed to increase humanitarian assistance.

It came as the group claimed to have taken full control of Afghanistan, including the Panjshir valley where opposition forces had been holding out. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of the entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have defeated and Panjshir is now under our command,” a Taliban commander told Reuters. The claims could not be independently verified.