The statement also said it was agreed to coordinate approaches to the Afghan issue in bilateral and multilateral formats. At the same time, it was noted that it would be appropriate to use the capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in ensuring regional stability and the fight against terrorism and the drug threat.
After the Biden administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces.
On Aug. 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul and gained complete control over the Afghan capital within a few hours.
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent bloodshed and subsequently fled the country.
Vice President Amrullah Saleh said that under the constitution, he becomes “the caretaker president” in the president’s absence and called for armed resistance against the Taliban.
The northern province of Panjshir is the only pocket of resistance to the Taliban. It is led by Ahmad Massoud, a son of Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953-2001), an influential leader of Afghanistan’s Tajik community who fought against the Taliban back in the 1990s.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Saptak Datta and Ritaban Misra
