The United States has secretly agreed with the Taliban to escort American citizens to Kabul airport out of Afghanistan, media reveal.
The US network CNN, citing two US defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed on Wednesday that US special operations forces had set up a “secret door” at Kabul airport in order to move its citizens away from main entrances, which have become a more likely target of terrorist attacks.
The media reported that, according to the agreement, the Taliban gathered the Americans at mutually determined “meeting points” located around the Hamid Karzai International Airfield in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
In those places, members of the Taliban armed group checked the Americans’ credentials and took them a short distance to a gate manned by the North American country’s forces waiting for them to help them, according to the report. ‘information.
Likewise, in parallel and as part of another confidential measure, US troops from the Joint Special Operations Command assisted citizens of the North American country in fleeing Afghanistan, using hotlines to guide them. on the way to the airport from Kabul.
Washington and its allies have spent most of the last 20 years in Afghanistan under the guise of fighting the Taliban armed group and training and equipping the Afghan security forces, but ultimately failed to achieve a decisive victory. .
However, fighting continues between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front led by Ahmad Massoud in Panjshir province. The Taliban confirmed that the fighting had lasted two days and that both sides suffered losses.
“Mujahedin in the Islamic Emirate have been attacked by some Panjshir circles who are bluffing and saying they will resist. The Mujahedin reacted to the attack and as a result the other side suffered heavy losses, ”said Anaamullah Samangani, member of the Taliban Cultural Commission.
Frontline residents in the Nasaji-Gulbahar area, just outside the Panjshir Valley, say fighting resumed last night and is continuing.
According to locals, most people have fled the area.
“The fighting started at 10 pm last night and is still going on,” said Baba Shirin, a resident of the area.
Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said they repelled the Taliban’s attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban suffered heavy losses.
“In the past 40 hours, the Taliban have launched offensives on Khawak from the Andarab valley of Baghlan. On our side, there were local forces from various districts of Andarab, local forces from Panjshir as well as forces from the ANSDF. They responded very well; they defeated the Taliban on this front. The Taliban lost 40 of their troops, 35 others were wounded, declared Fahim Dashti, spokesman for the resistance front.
The Taliban denied attacking Panjshir, saying their forces were attacked by supporters of Massoud and that they only responded to the attack.
Amid the ongoing fighting, Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban leader, said on Wednesday that talks between the two sides had failed so far.