Afghanistan: Taliban claim gains made in final region not under their rule

The Taliban claim to have made gains in the last Afghan region to be seized by their fighters.

Conflict has been brutal in the Panjshir Valley - a region north of the capital Kabul and a last holdout against the Taliban sweep. An official at Emergency Hospital in Kabul says two people were killed and 12 wounded on Friday night after Taliban fighters in the capital fired their weapons into the air in celebration.The hospital official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Twitter criticised the practice of firing into the air and called on the militants to stop it immediately.

“Avoid aerial firing, instead thank the God,” Mujahid tweeted.

Panjshir Valley was being defended by former vice president Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the British-educated son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a military commander who was killed in a suicide bombing just two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks in America. Afghanistan’s popular TOLO TV carried a message from Saleh who said fighting had been intense and troops on both sides had died, but he was still in the Panjshir Valley and he would stay to defend it.

Meanwhile, reports detailing a number of the Taliban's key Cabinet ministers have emerged.

What has been reported about the new Taliban leadership?

According to the Reuters news agency, the new regime will be led by Taliban co-founder and leader of the recent insurgency, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The commander fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan before helping to form the Taliban in the mid-1990s. He will reportedly be joined at the top of government by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of late Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar.

The Reuters agency also reports Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the deputy head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, Qatar, will be given a senior role.

Will the Taliban honour its promise to include women in power roles?

The Taliban has insisted women will be given roles in the new government, but reports suggest it's unlikely any will hold senior positions.

Dozens of female protesters gathered outside the presidential palace in Kabul ahead of an official announcement, urging the country's new leaders to include women in their Cabinet.

Taliban leaders have sought to project a more moderate image in recent months, including saying women and girls will be able to attend school and work in accordance with Islamic law.

Women protest outside Kabul urging the Taliban to respect women's rights