>> so, this isn't the panjshir first time has been surrounded -- the first time panjshir has been surrounded were besieged in the 80's by the soviets and the communist regime okabul. the soviets launched nine offensive against panjshir, and every offensive's they were defeated with limited rources. the taliban in 1996 besieged panjshir from the south and the north. they were feated a we launched a resistance and our resistance in panjshir caused other resistan throught afghanistan. from 1996 to 2001. this is not t first time we are facing such a situation. we're able to defeat her enemies and le to sustain our freedom, our liberties and our rights. >> are you looking for help from , i'll say the kind of coalition powers, from the west, are you looking for support from them, some kind of not just logistical support, military support? are you looking for help in this battle? >> one thing that i have to state is the threat of international terrorism is growing everyday. it's increasing. we are seeing al qaeda's reemergence throughout we're seeing an influx of isis fighters from the middle east

i am in my sanctuary, i am in my stronghold, panjshir valley.eople of panjshir valley are very much united and they want to defend and they want to fight and they want to resist against any totalitarian regime, against any belief that wants to enforce their own belief and ideology upon the people. the people here are just a small portion of the people of afghanistan. and the geography of panjshir is the smallest province in the whole of afghanistan. but what we are standing for right now is for the whole country. joining us is former bbc correspondent david loyn who interviewed the taliban in 2006. he also spent time with the northern alliance during their fight with the taliban before the american invasion. his new book is titled the long war. welcome back to the programme. tell us a little bit about the history of! . , , . . , of! valley. it is a remarkable geographical— of! valley. it is a remarkable geographical feature - of! valley. it is a remarkable geographical feature that. of! valley. it is a remarkable - geographical feature that make

the taliban say they're sending fighters to the northern panjshir valley, where local leaders are refusingo hand over power. more than 20 people have been killed by flash floods in the us state of tennessee. rescue workers say dozens of people are still missing. there are pleas for more help in haiti, as mudslides and the destruction of roads hampers efforts to deliver earthquake aid. # dream, dream, dream. and don everly, who had huge success with the everly brothers, has died aged 8a. president biden has championed the efforts to bring more people out of afghanistan, saying around 11,000 were flown to safety over the course of the weekend. he said that meant 28,000 had been evacuated since last saturday. making his third televised addressed to americans since the taliban takeover, mr biden also pointed to the possibility of extending the deadline of august 31st for completing the evacuation operation. but he also acknowledged the significant risks in carrying out the flights. we lifted approximately 11,000 people out of kabul in less than 36 hours. it is an incredible operation. let me b

the taliban had been attempting to negotiate the surrender of the panjshir province but there has beentricts and the taliban said they have sent hundreds of their fighters towards panjshir and sources in the resistance telling me they managed to repel them from the gates of panjshir, it has always traditionally been a tradition of anti—taleban resistance and it is a tradition to keep monitoring in the coming days. now the rest of the day's news — the latest government coronavirus figures, show there were 32,253 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period; which means, on average, there were 32,484 new cases per day, in the last week. the most recent figures show there almost six and a half thousand people in hospital with the virus, on thursday. 49 deaths were recorded in the past 2a hours, with an average of 98 deaths a day in the past week. 0n vaccinations, 87.7% of adults in the uk, have now had their firstjab, and 76.7% have had two. antibody tests are to be widely offered to the public in the uk for the first time — in a new programme that aims to find out more about what

the taliban says it has sent hundreds of fighters to the panjshir valley north of kabul, because local leaders are refusing to hand over power. meanwhile, thousands of afghans continue their days long vigil outside kabul airport, hoping to escape a country now in the hands of the taliban again. those who make it are still in shock at how quickly afghanistan capitulated. no—one expected it would be this quick. would be so sudden. and for these afghans, the crisis isjust starting. in the us state of tennessee, ten people are killed and many more missing after severe flooding. new york state declares an emergency, as tropical storm henri makes landfall along the atlantic coast, in rhode island. hello and welcome to bbc news to viewers in the uk and around the world. presidentjoe biden is expected to speak any moment now on the situation in afghanistan. he's already pledged to evacuate every american and eligible afghan who wants to leave, but is under pressure at home with polls suggesting that a large majority of americans believe he has handled the withdrawal of troops badly. meanwhile

the panjshir valley is long known as a bastion of opposition to the taliban.foreign relations. we've proven ourselves, our track record in the past a0 years has shown that no one is able to conquer our region especially the panjshir valley. the red army with its might was unable to defeat us — it was defeated nine times in the panjshir valley. i don't think any forces right now in afghanistan have the might of the red army and the taliban also twenty—five years ago tried to take over the valley — it failed and they faced a crushing defeat. for the past week, we have had an influx of remnants from the previous, we have had an influx of local resistance forces throughout the country, and the valley itself had local for the country, and the valley itself had localfor us the country, and the valley itself had local for us were trained in the valley. so we have thousands of forces ready for the resistance. however, we prepared to pursue peace negotiations before any sort of war or conflict. the militia's leaders include two figures worth noting. this man, ahmed mas

the taliban forces have been gathering close to panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, wherecalling themselves the resistance are based. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport. some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. now, they've arrived in the uk. it is fantastic, it is very good being in the uk, it is a very good feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having to leave your country? when you leave your sisters, your brothers, your mother, those things are sad, but now i am happy in the uk. a happy ending amidst so much misery. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. we mentioned the pressure on the united states from other western allies to extend the deadline for evacuating afghans. this is what the german foreign minister had to say on the matter. translation: firstly, - we are talking with the us, turkey and other partners with the aim of facilitating a civil operation at kabul airport to enable the evacuation of people beyond august the 31st.

the taliban say they're sending men to the northern panjshir valley, where local leaders are refusing to hand over power. us vice president, kamala harris, is in singapore, on the first leg off an asia trip that's being overshadowed by the crisis in afghanistan. and heavy rain and strong winds strike the north—east coast of the united states, as tropical storm henri makes landfall. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news, it is newsday. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. president biden has defended the us operation at kabul airport. addressing the american people for the third time in a week, he said the us had flown out 28,000 people since last saturday. mr biden insisted there was no way to carry it out without causing pain and loss. we lifted approximately 11,000 people out of kabul in less than 46 hours. this is an incredible operation. let me be clear, the evacuation of thousands of people from kabul is going to be hard and painful, no matter when it started, when it began. it would have been true if we had started a month ag

the taliban forces have been gathering close to panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, wherecalling themselves the resistance are based. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport. some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. now, they've arrived in the uk. it is fantastic, it is very good being in the uk, it is a very good feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having to leave your country? when you leave your sisters, your brothers, your mother, those things are sad, but now i am happy in the uk. a happy ending amidst so much misery. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet has spent the last 2a hours at kabul airport, witnessing the desperation of the thousands looking to get away. thousands of afghans, some of them spending days trying to push forward toward that last metal gate, that last barrier between an outside world here in afghanistan, which is changing by the hour and an airfield, which gives th

led by the first vice—president of afghanistan in the panjshir valley.munity does not have appetite for another conflict in afghanistant and neither do do the afghans. i think they will end up with a sort of accommodation on something that will give them more rights to what they want. at the moment, that is why the president and mullah abdul ghani baradar are having talks and we are yet to know what agreements they are having and we should find out next week. the former british prime minister tony blair, who sent troops in 20 years ago, has launched a scathing attack on the us decision to pull out of afghanistan. in an article on his own website, mr blair said the uk has a "moral obligation" to stay until "all those who need to be, are evacuated." here's our political correspondent, chris mason. he says that it is tragic and unnecessary and dangerous what is happening. he says there is a moral obligation for the uk to stay as long as necessary to get everyone out who has a right to come to the uk because they worked with british forces. he is making a bi

the panjshir valley, north of kabul, is once more a centre of resistance to their rule.n forces claim to have retaken three districts in the north. back at the airport, time is running out for the evacuation. once it ends and the world's attention shifts elsewhere, many fear that life under the taliban is going to get a lot harder. frank gardner, bbc news. our correspondent, secunder kermani, is in kabul has been speaking to the afghans who hope to be evacuated. he says the situation at the airport still seems extremely tense. it is still very chaotic. i was speaking earlier on to one young afghan whose father had worked in the us embassy here for 20 years. they have been told to go to the airport, to be evacuated, tried for two days straight but were unable to get past the crowd and how they have simply given up. they have decided the situation at the airport is even more dangerous than the prospect for them of life under taliban rule. we are also getting reports tonight in the us media that there are concerns amongst us defence officials about the possibility of an att

so in panjshir, one commander was so upset that he was betrayed and so the most shameful, not only are you leaving, but you are taking the cash and the $169 million rather than controlling the taliban, and last year when president trump made the deal, we gave everything to the taliban, and so, we will spread out the difficulties and the failures. the taliban had to apprehend and i predicted this is happening to every news platform, i said, look, we are giving so much for the taliban and so it is all adding up to the current situation, and so right now, there is no strategy, and there is no plan of the airport, but looking at the taliban, you have seen them starting the nightly operations to go house-by-house, and starting to arresting people and shooting people who are bad against them, so that the resistance force in panjshir, and the political leaders and i have spoken to other people in pakistan and uzbekistan and the political leaders are saying that you are willing to work with the taliban as long as there is a political compromise or power sharing and otherwise the resistance is

the taliban itself has said that hundreds of its fighters are heading for the panjshir valley north of kabul, because local leaders had refused to hand it over peacefully. the region's powerful militia leaders say they're ready to talk as long as the taliban formed an inclusive, decentralised government. more than 20 people have been killed by flash floods in the us state of tennessee. rescue workers say dozens of people are missing and hundred of homes have been evacutaed, after record—breaking rain—fall sent floodwaters surging through the region. now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. months of conflict in northern epo beer have cost thousands of lives and brought hunger and fear to millions. — ethiopia. last year, president abiy ahmed's government seemed confident in shutting down two forces. now, that he has made. rebels stand accused of horrifying war crimes. my guest is ethiopia's attorney general, gedion timothewos. it is his government leading the country to disaster? gedion timothewos, in addis ababa, welcome to hardtalk. it is a pleasure to have you. when we la

the panjshir valley, north of kabul, is once more a centre of resistance to their rule.laim to have retaken three districts in the north. back at the airport, time is running out for the evacuation. once it ends and the world's attention shifts elsewhere, many fear that life under the taliban is going to get a lot harder. frank gardner, bbc news. the foreign office says the uk has airlifted nearly 4,000 people out of afghanistan, since kabul fell last weekend. but others fearing for their lives, having worked with british forces, believe they should be airlifted out too. our correspondent, frankie mccamley, has been speaking to one man, whom we've chosen not to identify for his safety. this morning, 200 evacuees arrived at brize norton, following thousands of others, with many more waiting to leave. but some feel like they've been left behind. now in hiding, this man worked for a security firm with the british embassy. translation: we cannot stay in our home. - i hear the taliban has a list of all others who worked with the international companies and they will start to

the taliban itself has said that hundreds of its fighters are heading for the panjshir valley north of kabul, because local leaders had refused to hand it over peacefully. the region's powerful militia leaders say they're ready to talk as long as the taliban formed an inclusive, decentralised government. more than 20 people have been killed by flash floods in the us state of tennessee. rescue workers say dozens of people are still missing and hundred of homes have been evacutaed, after record—breaking rain sent floodwaters surging through the central region of the state. now on bbc news, dateline. hello and welcome to the programme that brings together leading commentators in the uk with the correspondents who write, broadcast and blog for audiences back home from the dateline: london. just one topic for us this week — how 20 years of commitment to afghanistan dissolved in a matter of days and what the consequences may be for the people of afghanistan, its neighbours and the rest of the world. joining us are janet daley, columnist with the sunday telegraph, michael goldfarb, host of th

the taliban forces have been gathering close to panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, wherelling themselves the resistance are based. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport. some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. yesterday, they arrived in the uk. it is fantastic, it is very good being in the uk, it is a very good feeling. being in the uk, it is a very good feelina. �* ., i. being in the uk, it is a very good feelina. �* . ,, being in the uk, it is a very good feelina. �* ., i. ., being in the uk, it is a very good feelin. �* ., i. ., feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having _ feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having to _ feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having to leave your- time about having to leave your country? time about having to leave your count ? ~ , ., ., time about having to leave your count ? ~ ,, ., ,, country? when you leave your sisters, country? when you leave your sisters. your _ country?

the taliban forces have been gathering close to panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, whereing themselves the resistance are based. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport. some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. now, they've arrived in the uk. it is fantastic, it is very good being in the uk, it is a very good feeling. but are you sad at the same time about having to leave your country? when you leave your sisters, your brothers, your mother, those things are sad, but now i am happy in the uk. a happy ending amidst so much misery. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. so that's the situation on the ground in kabul. let's go to our correspondent in washington, nomia iqbal. we in washington, nomia iqbal. are promised a decisi joe we are promised a decision from joe biden within 2a hours? that's right. he will be holding a g7 meeting, a virtual meeting with leaders from nations such as the uk, also germany, france and i imagine that will be a moment for t

the taliban has said that hundreds of its fighters are heading for the panjshir valley north of kabul, because local leaders had refused to hand it over peacefully. the region's powerful militia leaders say they're ready to talk as long as the taliban formed an inclusive, decentralised government. the authorities in haiti say more than 2,000 people are now known to have been killed by the huge earthquake that struck the country earlier this month. aid agencies are asking for more help as the destruction of roads is hampering efforts to deliver aid. now on bbc news, the media show. hello. are you finally in a position to make some money out of social media? well, the big name companies do very nicely, thank you, out of what you post and what you share, but have the tables turned in favour of the individual? can we all make cash with our latest musical composition or the recipe we lovingly demonstrate if we're a little bit smarter about it? well, websites like patreon offer fans the ability to pay their favourite artists and writers directly. tiktok and facebook have started offering ca

the taliban forces have been gathering here in panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, the fighters themselves the resistance. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport, some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. today, they arrived in the uk. many others won't be able to leave. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. the prime minister will be leading a summit of other g7 leaders tomorrow, including the us president, to discuss the crisis in afghanistan. borisjohnson is expected to request that the us extend the deadline to withdraw its troops beyond the end of the month in order to allow more people to be evacuated. but it's far from clear if the us or the taliban will agree and what other options, if any, the uk might have to get people out. 0ur politcal correspondent alex forsyth has more. packed up and prepared to go, these troops are poised to head to kabul if needed, to help the evacuation effort. with them this morning the defence secretary said it is a race a

this is the panjshir valley, and they are unable to have a hand of i'm massoud said he was ready forert a civil war. this is the smallest province and afghanistan, and what we are standing for right now is for the whole country, for sovereignty, for peace. it is for people. it is for inclusivity and tolerance and acceptance and moderation. he is backed by the country's first vice president, who now considers himself the legitimate caretaker president of afghanistan. we will not — let me be very clear — we will not accept clerical dictatorship and my country. we make peace, but the piece should not mean a surrender to a group with a massive record of human rights violations, massacre of people. you name it. that will not happen. the last time the taliban was in power in the 1990s, women weren't allowed to work. girls couldn't go to school. even now, they defend punishment is like lashings and stoning adulterers to death. today, you do see some women about an kabul, but few of them. many are too afraid to step outside. many worry that while the taliban do promise women will be able to

famed militia leader ahmad shah masoud are apparently trying to organize armed resistance in the panjshiralley, north of kabul. in washington, u.s. military officials say order at the airport has been restored, at least for the moment. >> we are confident we have taken the right steps to resume safe and orderly operations at the airport. jane: at the white house this afternoon, national security adviser jake sullivan again defended the president's withdrawal decision. he also said a deal was struck with the taliban to ensure safe passage to the airport, but he expressed fear for the future of the country's women. >> truly, deeply, my heart goes out to afghan women and girls. we have seen what the have done before. and that's a very hard thing for any of us to face. but this wasn't a choice just between saving those women and girls and not saving those women and girls. the alternative choice had its own set of human costs and consequences. and that would have involved is substantial ramp up of american participation in a civil war with more loss-of-life and more bloodshed. >> will the u.s.

control, and the next area is kabul, and the growing resistance which is the legitimate leader in panjshir, and so i would think that as this goes on and we consolidate and effectively control the inner parts of afghanistan and the border crossings, it is going to be increasingly more difficult unless there is a humanitarian corridor to be put in place. but the prospect is dark. to be clear for the afghans who now live there, and imagine if you woke up tomorrow, and you are a woman, and you could not go out of your house, and you could not go out without a male escort, and you are fired from your job. so now in this country we have a debate over the version of history skews one side of the aisle or another, and tomorrow, it is compulsory islamic shariah, and this is the basis and all sports, all arts and all culture aspects of lie that you could celebrate are now considered sinful, and are banned that is why one of the individuals clinging to the side of the c-17 fell off was a 17-year-old kid part of the afghan youth soccer team was trying to get out, because the soccer stadium that he dr

there is one pocket of resistance in in the panjshir valley.ll appear launch an offensive to that group and in the coming weeks take over that little pocket. stuart: thank you, trey yingst. thank you for being here. secretary of state antony blinken said we ended the longest war and new diplomatic mission has begun in afghanistan. christian whiton joins us now. what is a diplomatic mission when it comes to getting americans out? let me go further, does it mean we have to pay the taliban to let them loose? >> almost certainly. they are not going to say it in that explicit of terms, hopefully wouldn't be a suitcase of cash per person that gets out but the idea we will refrain from freezing afghanistan's assets in banks held in the u.s. or elsewhere around the world, we'll refrain from financial sanctions we applied to iran during the trump administration, that would be some sort of payola. the state department is pretty terrible for exfiltrations. cia does it for high value people. for average american citizens it may come toutorganized private g

in the geography, panjshir is the smallest province in the whole afghanistan.tance and moderation. and he's being backed by the country's first vice president, amrullah saleh, who now considers himself the legitimate caretaker president of afghanistan. we will not... let me be very clear. we will not accept clerical dictatorship in my country. we make peace but the peace should not mean surrender to a group with massive record of human rights violation, massacre of people, you name it. that will not happen. the last time the taliban were in power in the 1990s, women weren't allowed to work, girls couldn't go to school. even now, they defend punishments like lashings and stoning adulterers to death. today, you do see some women out and about in kabul, but fewer than before. many are too afraid to step outside. many worry that whilst the taliban do promise women will be able to work and get an education, the group will grow increasingly strict when the international focus comes to an end. anisa kadri, bbc news. the number of people killed by flash floods in the u

the taliban forces have been gathering here in panjshir, the one province yet to be captured, the fightersng themselves the resistance. for now, though, the focus is on the crisis around the airport, some are managing to make it out. my family, my newborn baby... last week, we filmed this former british army interpreter and his newborn baby. today, they arrived in the uk. many others won't be able to leave. secunder kermani, bbc news, kabul. we have some new lines in from the british prime minister and the us presidentjoe biden who have agreed to date to work together to ensure that all of those who are eligible to leave afghanistan are going to be able to, even including after the initial evacuation phase has ended, thatis initial evacuation phase has ended, that is according to borisjohnson�*s offers. the downing street spokesman said they have spoken on the phone and discussed the ongoing efforts by the uk and us to coordinate the rapid and safe evacuation of nationals and those who previously worked for our governments from kabul international airport. the leaders agreed to continue wo