With the US military evacuation from Afghanistan completed a week ago, private groups are working to help those in the war-torn country still trying to get out.

About 1,000 people, including Americans, have been waiting in Afghanistan for clearance for their six privately chartered flights to leave, an organizer told Reuters, blaming the delay on the US State Department.

The organizer said the State Department did not tell the Taliban of its approval for flight departures from the international airport in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif — about 260 miles north of the capital Kabul — or provide a landing site.

"They need to be held accountable for putting these people's lives in danger," said the organizer, who asked for anonymity.

A US official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US government "has not confirmed any Americans are in Mazar-i-Sharif trying to leave from the airport".

Asked about charter flights, a State Department spokesperson stressed that the US did not have personnel on the ground and therefore could not confirm details of the charter flights.

That includes verifying the number of American citizens and others on board, the accuracy of the manifest or "where they plan to land, among many other issues".

The spokesperson added, "We will hold the Taliban to its pledge to let people freely depart Afghanistan."

The passengers were waiting to board planes chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by conservative media host Glenn Beck, newsweek.com reported.

Three other flights — two on a plane chartered by international development organization Sayara, and one by Goldbelt Inc, an Alaska Native corporation — also were grounded by the Taliban, awaiting clearance.

According to a second senior NGO official, Sayara plans to carry 700 passengers, at least 19 of whom are Americans, Newsweek reported.

The Mercury One rescue mission chartered two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air, the largest private Afghan airline, for eight evacuation flights to a Gulf state. The other three flights also were chartered from Kam Air, but their destination was unclear, the website reported.

Negotiations between the Taliban and State Department have been "stuck at this point" so the Taliban has not "granted final clearance" for the flights, the second official said US Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the developments a "hostage situation".

"We have six airplanes at Mazar Sharif Airport, six airplanes with American citizens on them as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them hostage for demands right now," McCaul told Fox News Sunday.

Eric Montalvo, a former US Marine Corps officer and a lawyer working with groups that chartered two of the six planes, told The Guardian: "The Taliban is not holding these planes hostage. The problem is the US government. All the State Department has to do is make a phone call, and these people will be able to leave immediately."

Both NGO officials disputed the "hostage'" depiction but told Newsweek that the passengers include at least 142 Americans.

"The planes are currently empty, and its passengers are still waiting in their safe houses for clearance for takeoff from the Taliban," the first NGO official told Newsweek. "I have more than 1,000 people on the master manifest that want to fly, of which 123 are Americans and the rest are special immigration visas."

In a series of Twitter posts Monday, US Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said he was "deeply frustrated" with the evacuation process.

"My staff & I have worked night & day to secure the safe passage of two planes waiting in Mazar-e Sharif to take American citizens, at-risk Afghan allies, & their families to safety," he wrote.

"I have been deeply frustrated, even furious, at our government's delay & inaction. There will be plenty of time to seek accountability for the inexcusable bureaucratic red tape that stranded so many of our Afghan allies," Blumenthal wrote.

The evacuation flights cost the Mercury One charity $750,000 each, the first NGO official told Newsweek. Mercury One reportedly raised more than $28 million to help evacuate Christians and other religious minorities from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the State Department said it "facilitated the safe departure" of four US citizens from Afghanistan on Monday, noting that the Taliban "was aware" and did not interfere in the evacuation.

A senior State Department official said the evacuation was done "by overland route from Afghanistan. "

US Representative Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, announced Monday that he helped the four safely leave Afghanistan.

"A little over three weeks ago, I received an email from a friend asking if there was anything we could do to help a young lady named Mariam and her 3 small children (all American citizens) get out of Afghanistan," he tweeted.

"Mariam had gone to visit her parents for the first time with the kids and became trapped in Kabul when the Taliban overran the city. We left two weeks ago today to get her, the children, and others out."

Mullin wrote that "despite the many frustrating setbacks" … at 05:32EDT they got out of Afghanistan".

Mullin called it a "flat out lie" that the State Department facilitated the evacuation, saying a "team of patriots … worked around the clock for two weeks to get them out, despite the many roadblocks from the State Department."

Reuters contributed to this story.

KABUL - Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said here on Monday that a new Afghan government will be announced in the next few days, after confirming that the group has taken over Panjshir, the only province that had remained out of Taliban's control.

Afghanistan might form a caretaker government as the preparation was underway to announce the new administration, Mujahid told a press conference.

"The new administration might be in the form of a caretaker government. It is a suggestion, it is possible, if we have a caretaker government, so there will be place for bringing changes or reforms in the government's frame," he said.

Details and date of formation for the new government will be shared soon, as there were some technical issues left. "It is a matter of days, the new government will be announced very soon," said the spokesman.

The announcement came after some Taliban sources were in the view that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, political chief and co-founder of the Taliban, will lead the new government.

Mujahid said the government will be all-inclusive and expressed hope that the people of Afghanistan will help in the country's transition.

Ex-Afghan military officials will be invited to join the security departments in the new government, said the spokesman.

He also made it clear that Taliban hopes to have strong relations with neighboring countries.

There were no civilian casualties during the fighting in Panjshir, the spokesman said, adding that electricity and the internet will resume in the province soon.

In the meantime, the so-called National Resistance Front of Afghanistan led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of former anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, has so far denied the Taliban's claim of capturing Panjshir. Massoud said on Twitter that he is safe.

Declaring that the war in Afghanistan is over, Mujahid said the Kabul airport will be fully functioning soon. He asked for patience as the group tries to establish international flights.

Meanwhile, Mujahid said he was told that Vice President Amrullah Saleh has fled to Tajikistan.

Panjshir, some 200 km north of Kabul, had been the last province in Afghanistan uncontrolled by the Taliban after the group captured most of Afghanistan's territories since early August in its blitz attacks, including the capital of Kabul.

The last US soldiers were evacuated from Afghanistan at mid-night on Aug. 30, one day before the Aug. 31 deadline set by US President Joe Biden, ending 20 years of US-led invasion into the country.

At a press conference held on Aug. 18, the first since Taliban's takeover of the capital Kabul, Mujahid said the Taliban wants to have good relations with everybody to develop the country's economy and achieve prosperity.

The Taliban supreme leader had declared a general amnesty, promising to ensure the safety of the contractors and translators who had worked for the United States and allied forces, the government soldiers who had been fighting the Taliban for years, and those whose families were attempting to leave Afghanistan, Mujahid has said.

He has said women could work and study in different fields within the framework of sharia or Islamic law, and they would be offered all rights within the Islamic principles, because women are vital parts of the society.

KABUL - The Taliban armed forces have seized eastern Panjshir province following heavy fightings on Monday, gaining control over the last province of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed.

"Our latest efforts to bring peace to the entire country succeeded as the Panjshir province is completely conquered and came under the control of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," Mujahid wrote on Twitter.

Mujahid added that the Taliban forces attacked and eliminated scores of resistance forces in Panjshir on Sunday night, while dozens fled after Taliban advances in the mountainous valley.

The Taliban spokesman said that the Panjshir people "would not encounter any discrimination" and no one would face persecution.

"We assure the Panjshir people that they are our brothers and together we will work for one country and for a common goal," he said.

In the meantime, the so-called National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) led by Ahmad Massoud denied the Taliban's claim.

"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight," a media section of the NRF tweeted.

On Sunday, Massoud said that they would engage in negotiation talks if the Taliban stops advancing to the Panjshir mountainous valley.

Fahim Dashti, a known Afghan journalist and NRF spokesman, and a former army General Abdul Wadoud Zarra, were killed during fighting with the Taliban forces in Panjshir on Sunday.

Panjshir, some 200 km in the north of Kabul, is the last province in Afghanistan uncontrolled by the Taliban since the U.S. troop's pullout from the Central Asian country in late August.

A former United Kingdom prime minister, who remains a grandee of the ruling Conservative Party, has sharply criticized the decision to hastily pull Western troops from Afghanistan.

John Major, who led the UK between 1990 and 1997 and who was a member of Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s, said at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday the decision to leave Afghanistan was "strategically very stupid" and "morally incomprehensible".

The Financial Times newspaper, which organizes the festival, quoted Major, who stood down as a lawmaker in 2001, as saying the withdrawal was further evidence of the United States' increasingly isolationist stance.

"I think we were wrong to leave Afghanistan; we were wrong morally but also wrong practically," the paper quoted him as saying about the US-led withdrawal.

Major said the situation is particularly distressing for people who grew up in Afghanistan during the 20 years Western forces were in the country because they came to expect freedoms, such as education for girls, that will likely be lost.

He said the exit came about "abruptly, and in my view unnecessarily," and will be seen as a "stain on the reputation of the West" for a lifetime.

Major also slammed Boris Johnson's government for its "shameful" failure to rescue all locally hired workers who supported the UK in Afghanistan.

The Independent newspaper noted the UK's foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has just returned from an emergency diplomatic tour to Qatar and Pakistan, where he was believed to have been trying to secure the safe passage of those people deemed "left behind".

Major's comments follow those of another former UK prime minister, Tony Blair, who said earlier the West was wrong to pull its troops out without first ensuring Afghanistan's stability.

Blair, a Labour Party politician, was Britain's leader in 2001 when the US-led invasion began with the goal of toppling the Taliban government and ending its support of international terrorism.

Blair said the sudden withdrawal was "imbecilic" and would have had "every Jihadist group round the world celebrating".

The Guardian newspaper noted on Sunday that senior Conservative Party lawmaker Tobias Ellwood has also joined the chorus of criticism.

Writing in the Observer newspaper Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons select committee on defense, noted an "unseemly and unprofessional" row has now broken out between the UK's Foreign Office and its Ministry of Defense about where the fault lies for the chaotic end of the UK's presence in Afghanistan.

Ellwood said the disarray has exposed the weakness of the UK as a global player. "We've lost the passion and the art of leadership – and have caused further reputational damage in the unattractive blame game over Afghanistan that has played out so publicly," he wrote. "This unseemly, unprofessional squabbling must stop."

KABUL - Afghanistan's flag carrier airline Ariana Afghan Airlines has resumed domestic flights, a local television channel reported Sunday.

"The Ariana Afghan Airlines resumed its flights from Kabul to Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar cities," Tolonews said in its news bulletin.

The Ariana Afghan Airlines is the first local airline to resume domestic flights since the completion of the US forces pull out in late August, and facilities of the Kabul airport were reportedly destroyed following their withdrawal.

Another local private airline, the Kam Air, has reportedly shifted its planes from the Kabul airport to Mashhad city of Iran, fearing a chaotic situation arising out of Kabul after the Taliban's takeover of the Afghan capital on Aug 15.

A technical team of Qatar, according to the media outlet, is ready to help resume flights at the Kabul airport.

A Qatari plane carrying ranking officials and another plane from the United Arab Emirates carrying humanitarian assistance landed at Kabul international airport a couple of days ago.

KABUL - The Taliban military chief on Saturday ordered Taliban members to avoid aerial gun firing after two people were killed and 10 wounded on Friday night in Kabul, a Taliban media official confirmed.

Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, military chief of Taliban movement, have instructed all provincial governors and police chiefs to strictly control and avoid aerial firing, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, chief of Multimedia Branch of Taliban's Cultural Commission said in a statement.

"You're instructed to strictly avoid aerial firing. From this time on, there should be no aerial firing under any circumstances. If it happens in your province, you will be held responsible for it," the statement read.

On Friday night, two residents were killed and 10 others wounded after Taliban fighters launched a heavy celebratory gun firing and shot on the air after a rumor saying the Taliban forces overran Panjshir province, the sole province out of Taliban control since Taliban takeover on Aug 15.

"All officials should be present at their jobs at the start working-hours in the morning. Complaints have been received from some provinces that officials are not present during working hours, are engaged in other private affairs and meetings, while customers are waiting for them," the statement said.

The statement also ordered Taliban officials to keep a close eye on institutions at provincial level in order to avoid infiltration of criminals.

Complaints have been received that some officials have hired illegal armed men to be powerful, "pay special attention to prevent this from happening," the statement said.

TEHRAN -- Nearly 33,000 children have been killed and maimed in Afghanistan amid its 20-year war, an average of one child every five hours, an Iranian media outlet has said.

"The numbers were a devastating insight into the deadly cost of war on children," PressTV reported Wednesday, citing data from Save the Children, a London-headquartered international humanitarian organization which is said to have worked in Afghanistan since 1976 to deliver lifesaving services to children and their families.

"The real number of direct child casualties of the conflict will likely be much higher than the estimated 32,945, and this number does not include children who have died due to hunger, poverty and disease in that time," the organization added, according to the PressTV report.

"What remains after 20 years is a generation of children whose entire lives have been blighted by the misery and impact of war. The magnitude of human suffering of the past two decades is beyond comprehension," said Hassan Noor, Asia regional director for Save the Children.

The United States on Monday ended its two decades of war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history, when the last US planes flew out of the Asian country's capital, Kabul.

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will travel to Geneva to convene a high-level conference on aid for Afghanistan on September 13, his spokesman said Friday.

The country, now under the control of the Taliban after 20 years of war, is facing a "looming humanitarian catastrophe," Stephane Dujarric warned.

"The conference will advocate for a swift scale-up in funding so the lifesaving humanitarian operation can continue; and appeal for full and unimpeded humanitarian access to make sure Afghans continue to get the essential services they need," he said in a statement.

He said development gains must also be protected in the country and that the rights of women were an "essential" part of Afghanistan's future stability.

Even before the Taliban victory, Afghanistan was heavily aid-dependent -- with 40 percent of the country's GDP drawn from foreign funding.

The UN has warned 18 million people are facing a humanitarian disaster, and another 18 million could quickly join them.

"One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. Nearly half of all children under the age of five are predicted to be acutely malnourished in the next 12 months," Dujarric said.

Residents in Kabul have voiced worry over the country's long-running economic difficulties, now seriously compounded by the hardline movement's takeover.

The United States ended its war in Afghanistan on August 30, two weeks after the Afghan government fell and the Taliban took control of Kabul.

Those days were marked by a frenzied evacuation of Americans, other foreigners and Afghans fleeing the new Taliban regime.

Since the US departure, the Taliban have been working with Qatar to get the airport in Kabul, a lifeline for aid, operational again.

On Thursday, the United Nations said it had resumed humanitarian flights to parts of the country, linking the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.

The country's flag carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines resumed domestic flights on Friday, while the United Arab Emirates sent a plane carrying "urgent medical and food aid."

AFP

In its latest talk with Paris, Beijing raised the alarm over a potential massive outpouring of refugees and migrants from Afghanistan. It also called for joint efforts from countries to calm down the situation there, and said there are lessons to be learned from the turmoil.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged this during a phone call on Wednesday with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic counselor to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Wang emphasized that effective measures are needed to help achieve a smooth transition in Afghanistan, so as to avoid a huge rush of refugees and migrants out of the country.

Otherwise, bitter results will be brought to the war-torn country's neighbors and European countries.

Wang criticized the US military's hasty withdrawal, saying that the United States cannot shirk its responsibility.

He said the top priority is to provide Afghanistan with much-needed economic and humanitarian assistance to make up for the great damage to Afghanistan's national development and people's well-being.

Bonne said France and China have common interests in maintaining peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He also said his country is willing to strengthen coordination with China under the United Nations Security Council framework in order to realize peace and stability in Afghanistan soon.

Cui Hongjian, director of the European studies department at the China Institute of International Studies, said:"The 20-year war in Afghanistan has been creating a constant source of refugees for Europe."

The chaotic troop withdrawal of the US and its indifference to the situation in Afghanistan will lead to more serious consequences, adding to the risk that the refugee problem will have another major impact on Europe, he said.

Going through the pains triggered by regional instability, including the "Arab Spring" and the US war in Syria, Europe has gone to great lengths to assist existing refugees while trying to avoid another large-scale influx, Cui noted.

"However, the current turmoil has fueled panic among Afghan people, and Washington made an easy choice by shifting the refugee problem to Europe and asking countries in need of the US' favors in other issues to accept incoming refugees," he said.

Unilateral sanctions

Wang also called on Washington to quit imposing unilateral sanctions.

Actions to freeze Afghanistan's foreign exchange reserves in the US and arbitrarily exerting pressure on Afghanistan are "very unwise and will unlikely pay off", he said.

During the phone call, Wang also said that there are lessons to be learned from the situation in Afghanistan, and the first thing is not to seek hegemony.

No matter how powerful a country is, Wang said, it should "respect other countries and honor fairness and justice".

Wang also warned about one-sided obsessions in imposing a "transformation toward democracy" on another country, saying that it is necessary to respect the development path chosen by a country that is suitable for its own national conditions.

In latest talks with Taliban, Beijing said the Afghan people once again have their future in their hands, and Taliban underscored its readiness to promote China-Afghanistan friendly ties and the Belt and Road Initiative.

The hopes were voiced when Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao held a phone conversation on Thursday with Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy head of the Taliban's political office in Qatar.

During the telephone talks, the two sides exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and issues of common concern.

Wu said the situation in Afghanistan "has witnessed a fundamental change", and the future and destiny of Afghanistan is once again in the hands of the Afghan people.

The friendship between China and Afghanistan has stayed true for thousands of years, and China has always respected the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan and has pursued a "friendly policy toward all the Afghan people".

He also expressed the hope that the country will achieve peace and stability and rebuild a beautiful home as soon as possible.

The Taliban official said that China is a trustworthy friend of Afghanistan, and Taliban is willing to further engage in developing the friendly relations with China.

He said the Taliban will never allow any force to use Afghan territory to threaten China's interests, and will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese agencies and personnel in Afghanistan.

The Belt and Road Initiative cooperation, as advocated by China, is conducive to the development and prosperity of Afghanistan and the region, and Afghanistan looks to further earnestly support and participate in co-building the Belt and Road, Hanafi added.

The United States plan to resettle tens of thousands of Afghan refugees is facing operational and legal challenges, with issues ranging from the uncertain immigration status of many evacuees to limited social resources and permanent housing for the new arrivals.

Which way will the political winds blow in the US after the dramatic, deadly withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan?

In the short term, the scenes of chaos and disorder have taken a toll on President Joe Biden's standing, if one goes by polls, and also have subjected him to bipartisan rebukes.

A common thread in the polls is that Americans wanted the US to extract itself from the war but were angered by the frantic way the withdrawal unfolded.

A Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday found that 54 percent of Americans say it was the right decision to leave Afghanistan, while 42 percent say it was wrong. Only 27 percent rated Biden's handling of the situation as excellent or good, while 29 percent rated it fair, and 42 percent called it poor.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 59 percent of Americans disapproved of Biden's handling of Afghanistan, while 38 percent approved.

Republicans are looking to wield the Afghanistan response against the Democrats in the 2022 congressional elections.

While some Republicans in the House have floated the idea of impeaching Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday basically said that wouldn't happen, as Democrats hold a slim majority in the House and Senate, the latter by only a tiebreaking vote.

"There isn't going to be any impeachment, but I think they have a good chance of a very bad election next year," said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.

"Foreign policy usually doesn't drive midterms unless American lives or economic interests are directly at stake. The Kabul incident will hurt Biden in the short run but will drag down the party only if there is a hostage crisis or an Afghanistan-based terror attack," Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College, told NBC News.

Biden could be banking that in the long run getting the US out of Afghanistan will be viewed positively.

One theory as to why Biden faced such a vociferous reaction from both major political parties is because he went against the desires of Washington's foreign policy elite and "hawks".

"Biden's decision to withdraw has handed Afghanistan over to the Taliban and created a terrorist sanctuary," said US Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney, one of the architects of the Iraq War.

"Joe Biden just completed his shameful retreat from Afghanistan, leaving American citizens and Afghan allies behind under the rule of a terrorist government. If anything happens to them, Biden is to blame," said Nikki Haley, a Republican and former US ambassador to the United Nations.

Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was "disappointed that the Biden administration clearly did not accurately assess the implications of a rapid US withdrawal".

In an article Wednesday, Mark Landler, The New York Times London bureau chief suggested that Biden's move was anathema to such thinking.

"Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the doctrine of an aggressive, expeditionary foreign policy — in which all options, including military force, are invariably on the table — has become a bipartisan article of faith in Washington. The news media, which covered those wars, played a significant role in amplifying these ideas," Landler wrote.

"While Mr Biden may have antagonized foreign policy elites, his determination to extricate the United States from costly entanglements overseas plays better with average Americans," he wrote, adding that "polls suggest that many, if not most, share his conviction that the country does not have a compelling reason to stay in Afghanistan".

Still, that outlook also will be tempered by the fact that 13 US service members — all but one in their 20s — were killed in a suicide bombing last week at the Kabul airport, where scenes of desperation unfolded relentlessly for two weeks.

The president also faces raw anger from the families of the fallen troops, some of whom have publicly chastised him. In addition to the Gold Star families, there are the many troops who served in the 20-year war, some of whom were maimed and also are dealing with psychological traumas from the war. Many are questioning if their effort was for naught.

There also is another potentially dramatic issue of whether the estimated 200 Americans left behind in the war-torn Asian country will make it out.

If harm were to befall any of them in the coming weeks, then the White House could have a new televised crisis on its hands.

Biden has pledged that any American who wanted to leave Afghanistan would be given the opportunity to do so. In a blunt speech on Tuesday summarizing the withdrawal, he said 90 percent of Americans who wanted to leave were able to.

That becomes problematic for the 10 percent who weren't able to.

General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said Monday that some Americans tried to get to the Kabul airport for the final evacuations but couldn't. No Americans were on the last five jets to leave.

"We maintained the ability to bring them in up until immediately before departure, but we were not able to bring any Americans out," he said. "That activity ended probably about 12 hours before our exit, although we continue the outreach and would have been prepared to bring them on until the very last minute. But none of them made it to the airport."

The Associated Press, in a "fact check" story Tuesday wrote: "For the record, Biden vowed that he would get 100 percent of Americans out before withdrawing forces. And his suggestions Tuesday that many of the remaining Americans are dual nationals who may be undecided about leaving do not reflect the full reality."

The fate of those remaining Americans likely will be left to diplomatic efforts.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handle their first days with sole authority over Afghanistan, as they have reiterated a pledge to bring peace and security to the country after decades of war.

"We want to have good relations with the United States and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters on Tuesday at the Kabul airport.

Mujahid also insisted Taliban security forces would be "gentle and nice", adding that their victory was a "lesson for other invaders".

Authorities from several countries have already begun meeting with the Taliban leadership, the latest being India.

Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, urged the Taliban to combat terrorism after the Western withdrawal, and called for an inclusive government.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday the history of Afghanistan is entering a new chapter, with both opportunities and challenges, difficulties and hope.

"The long-suffering Afghan people are welcoming a new starting point for national peace and reconstruction," Wang told a regular news conference in Beijing.

While the international community is closely following the formation of the new government, China sincerely hopes that different parties in Afghanistan can meet the aspiration of Afghan people and the expectation of the international community to build an open and inclusive political structure, follow prudent and moderate internal and foreign policies and make a clean break with all terrorist groups and live in harmony with neighboring countries, he said.

He said China will always pursue a friendly policy toward Afghanistan, respect its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, adhere to noninterference in its domestic affairs and continue to provide utmost support for the country to realize peace and reconstruction at an early date.

Wang's comments came as US President Joe Biden on Tuesday mounted a fierce defense of his exit from the war-torn country as the "best decision for America".

The US leader spoke after the United Nations warned of a looming "humanitarian catastrophe "in Afghanistan, underscoring the daunting challenges that the Taliban face as they transform from insurgent group to governing power.

Ramiz Alakbarov, the local UN humanitarian coordinator, said $1.3 billion is needed for aid efforts in Afghanistan, only 39 percent of which has been received.

Anxious Afghans, meanwhile, are waiting to see what the new order looks like in the nation of 38 million people that relies heavily on international aid.

The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to allow free travel, form an inclusive government and guarantee women's rights.

'Positive' signs

There are few signs of the draconian restrictions the Taliban imposed last time they were in power. Schools have reopened to boys and girls. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves－as they always have－rather than the all-encompassing burqa the group required in the past.

When the Taliban last ruled the country, from 1996 to 2001, they banned television, music and even photography, but there's no sign of that yet. TV stations are still operating normally and the Taliban fighters themselves can be seen taking selfies around Kabul.

On Tuesday, the sound of dance music trickled out of an upscale wedding hall in Kabul, where a celebration was in full swing inside.

Shadab Azimi, the 26-year-old manager, said at least seven wedding parties had been held since the Taliban takeover.

Azimi said a Taliban patrol stops by a couple of times a day, but only to ask if he needs help with security. Unlike the now-disbanded police of the toppled, Western-backed government, the Taliban don't ask for bribes, he said.

"Former officials, including police officers, were always asking us for money and forcing us to host their friends for lunches and dinners," he said. "This is one of the positive points of the Taliban."

Agencies, Mo Jingxi in Beijing and Xinhua contributed to this story.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has prompted discussions about the security implications for neighboring countries, but, for the most part, these countries are adopting a wait-and-see approach toward the war-torn country's new rulers, experts said.

Middle Eastern nations are closely monitoring Afghan developments to see whether peace prevails and the Taliban rule with a more moderate approach compared with their previous stint in power that ended almost 20 years ago.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, said Taliban leaders have delivered narratives that tend to be moderate, promising peace and protecting women's rights.

Alessandro Arduino, a principal research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, said the Middle East is hoping for more moderate elements of the Taliban movement to prevail.

How the occupation of Kabul unfolds in the coming months will be crucial in determining if that hope is not misplaced, he said.

Rasha Loai Al Joundy, a senior researcher at the Emirati think tank Dubai Public Policy Research Centre, said the Gulf and other Middle Eastern countries are worried that the situation in Afghanistan could deteriorate quickly.

Al Joundy cited a United Nations Security Council report in June that warned that 8,000 to 10,000 "foreign terrorist fighters" may have entered Afghanistan.

How the Taliban proceed, now that Aug 31 is behind them, will inform assessments on the way they respond to such threats, said Al Joundy, referring to the United States' deadline for its withdrawal of troops.

The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, has vowed to engage in Afghanistan's peace process and urged its future leaders to guard against allowing the country being used as a platform or safe haven for terrorists.

In the Gulf region, the United Arab Emirates has agreed to host 5,000 Afghans to be evacuated from Afghanistan en route to third countries at the request of the US. Bahrain has allowed flights to make use of its transit facilities. Saudi Arabia has called on the Taliban and Afghan parties to work to preserve stability in the country.

Qatar has been playing the role of mediator, given the Taliban's office in the capital Doha.

"Qatar has old relations with the Taliban, and clearly, it is doing a good job advising them along the way.... (The Taliban) are listening …now, but that could change in the future," Al Joundy said.

'Impartial mediator'

"Qatar considers what is happening is a magnification of its role in Afghanistan. But that doesn't mean it doesn't share the same security concerns with other countries in the region. Being cautious is the wise policy, (as well as) cooperating and gathering information to continuously assess the threat," she said.

Arduino said an essential part of Qatar's foreign policy has been its long-standing support for mediation and peace talks.

"Qatar's own position on the future of Afghanistan is clear and related to a power-sharing and peaceful resolution. However, its role is still going to be as an impartial mediator," Arduino said.

At a webinar on Thursday, one speaker observed that West Asia as a whole lacks a unified front when dealing with Afghanistan. The event was organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad's Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa, a think tank, and the Middle East Monitor, a press monitoring organization.

Tamim Asey, founder and executive chairman of the Institute of War and Peace Studies, a think tank in Kabul, said the UAE and Saudi Arabia have a different policy from that of Qatar in regard to a political settlement for Afghanistan.

The Taliban, the hard-line Islamist group that emerged in the 1990s, is working to form an inclusive government after US-led forces completed their final troop withdrawal and evacuations.

Sulaeman said the two decades of US occupation "have brought much misery" to the Afghan people.

While one can argue that the US has succeeded in promoting education and freedom for Afghan women, there is a need to question the parameters of that success, she said, noting the "daily bombing and violence".

Hypocrisy becomes abiding memory of double standards in Afghanistan

The United States' rash end to its longest war this week can't mask the country's failures in counterterrorism in Afghanistan and the consequences that come from imposing its will on others, analysts said.

"The final withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan closes another traumatic chapter in the history of that country and constitutes an opportunity for a new beginning in the quest for stability, peace and development of the Afghan nation," said Salman Bashir, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan and former ambassador to China.

"Afghanistan should never again become an arena for geopolitical games."

Twenty years ago, the US invaded Afghanistan in the name of fighting terrorism. With a traumatic evacuation of mostly foreign citizens from Kabul airport having wrapped up on Tuesday, the Taliban are once again acknowledged as the governing force of Afghanistan.

It is ironic that the US, after spending trillions of dollars, killing about 30,000 civilians and leaving millions homeless, has allowed the once-toppled Taliban to return to power, said Mustafa Hyder Sayed, executive director of the Pakistan-China Institute. Sayed also noted the US lost more than 2,000 soldiers in the two-decade conflict.

Afghanistan is a good example of the double standards that the US exercises and the doom that comes from its hypocritical imposition of its own will and values upon others by force. US foreign policy is not based on principles or ethics, but on political interests that often override the interests of ordinary people and cost lives, he said.

No more foreign rule

When it was in the US' interest, the White House and the Pentagon turned the Afghan Taliban into an enemy, even though it had once made them a partner, he said.

The Mujahedeen－from which the Taliban emerged in the 1990s－was known to have grown with US support to counter Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. But the Taliban, as the militants' successors, were uprooted by the US-led invasion in late 2001.

Sayed said the US should stop its regime-change endeavors.

Amina Khan, director of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, said that after two decades of bloodshed and instability, "one thing is clear: Afghans never accept foreign rule".

According to Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban had been waiting for this moment for years and had been urging the US to fulfill its commitment on troop withdrawal.

Wang Peng, a researcher at the Center for American Studies with Zhejiang International Studies University, said the two decades of war waged by the US against all Islamic nations have come to an end. Wang groups with Afghanistan the US' roles in the second Iraq War that began in 2003 and the social-political "color revolutions" and regime changes associated with the Arab Spring.

Many in the United States expect that their officials will learn from these hard lessons, Wang said. In the future, when Washington's decision-makers look to wage a new war, or replace one regime with another, they better think twice before they act, the academic said.

While the US' war in Afghanistan may be over, that doesn't mean the end of the country's accountability for the Afghan people. The deadly suicide bombing at the Kabul airport on Aug 26 portends US failure in eliminating terrorists in Afghanistan, its major goal from 2001, and further troubles for Afghans.

The US can contribute to the development of Afghanistan, as the end of war is "a historic opportunity", Khan said. "At the same time the real test for Afghanistan has begun."

The country has tremendous economic potential, which can be realized with the cooperation and support of its neighbors and the international community, the academic said.

China and Russia have maintained close coordination over developments in Afghanistan and the country has always been high on the security agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, a senior Chinese diplomat said.

China and Russia are important powers that have played a constructive role in pushing forward the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said.

Zhang said China will work with Russia to encourage a moderation in the religious policy of Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and for them to pursue a peaceful foreign policy toward all neighboring countries.

In an interview with Russian news agency Interfax, Zhang said that China, as Afghanistan's largest neighbor, respects the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. China also adheres to a policy of noninterference in Afghanistan's internal affairs and is pursuing a friendly policy toward all Afghans.

China has played a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Afghan issue on the basis of full respect for Afghanistan's sovereignty and for the will of all parties in the country, Zhang said.

Contact group

Zhang said the SCO had established a contact group on Afghanistan in 2005 with the purpose of pursuing cooperation between the SCO and Afghanistan on issues of mutual interest.

China insists that the SCO should play an important role in preventing a resurgence in terrorism through its anti-terrorism mechanism, participate in multilateral meetings about the regional situation, and actively use the cooperative mechanism to further trade and economic interactions in addition to promoting people-to-people exchanges. In this way, the organization can help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Zhang said China expects the Taliban and other parties in the country to establish an open and inclusive political structure based on dialogue and consultation, pursue a moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy, and truly protect the security of foreign institutions and personnel in Afghanistan.

At the same time, China also expects the Afghan Taliban to resolutely fight all types of terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and fulfill a promise not to allow any forces to threaten the security of neighboring countries.

Nation advised that the best strategy for dealing with new regime is engagement

The British government has confirmed that officials are in talks with the Taliban about how to secure safe passage out of Afghanistan for British nationals and Afghans who had worked with the British, who were left behind following the withdrawal of British military personnel.

The BBC reported that the talks are taking place in Qatar, and it is understood that there are up to 250 people entitled to relocation, along with their families.

"The prime minister's special representative for Afghan transition, Sir Simon Gass, has travelled to Doha and is meeting with senior Taliban representatives to underline the importance of safe passage out of Afghanistan for British nationals, and those Afghans who have worked with us over the past 20 years," said a government representative.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been heavily criticized over allegations he was slow to react to the Taliban takeover of the country last month because he was on holiday, and on Wednesday he was due to appear before Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, where he would be quizzed on the government's response to the crisis, and also his own actions.

Raab said that since April, more than 17,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan to the United Kingdom, including more than 5,000 UK nationals.

India, France and Canada have already begun discussions with the Taliban, and Raab said that international cooperation in dealing with them would be necessary to act as a "moderating influence", as Britain had to face up to a "new reality "after the end of a 20-year international presence in the country.

Britain's former ambassador to the country, William Patey, told the BBC that the Taliban knew they had to engage with other countries, and this process could help reduce the chances of Afghanistan experiencing a refugee crisis, and becoming a breeding ground for terrorism.

"(The Taliban) know they can't run this country without help," he told the Newsnight program.

Lisa Nandy, shadow foreign secretary from the opposition Labour Party, told Sky News it was "almost unbelievable we are in a situation where we are reliant on the Taliban for safe passage, but that is the reality we face.

"Dialogue is essential if we are going to get thousands of people out of Afghanistan," she added, saying that she was still hearing reports of thousands of British nationals "running out of options as the Taliban hunts them from street to street."

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also supports engagement, warning that the alternative, isolating the Taliban, is "a dangerous option ... of abandonment of Afghan people.

"That's the mistake that was committed in the 90s. I would urge the international community not to repeat the same mistake again," he told Sky News.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has said it aims to have 20,000 Afghans settled in the UK over the next five years, but the suggestion that European Union countries should follow this example of setting target figures has caused division within the 27-member bloc.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are already more than one million asylum seekers and refugees from Syria in Europe, with 59 percent of them in Germany.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn suggested the EU should set a target of between 40,000 and 50,000 refugees from Afghanistan, but the German government rejected this idea, saying it would act as an enticement.

"I don't think it's wise if we talk about numbers here, because numbers obviously trigger a pull-effect and we don't want that," the German interior minister, Horst Seehofer, was quoted as saying by The Guardian newspaper.

"Luxembourg is always represented at these things with very small numbers. And they should be a little more considerate towards the interests of those countries who are mainly taking them in."

A United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan warned on Wednesday that the country's food reserves could be depleted by the end of September, with about one-third of the country's population of 38 million facing "emergency" or "crisis" levels of food insecurity.

US President Joe Biden defended the country's withdrawal from Afghanistan on Tuesday amid political fallout over how the pullout unfolded.

"To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, what is the vital national interest?" Biden said in a sometimes-stern speech. "I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan."

Biden also said that 90 percent of American civilians who wanted to leave were able to do so, and that Washington could ensure that 100 to 200 others could depart if they wanted to.

More than 123,000 people were evacuated from the capital Kabul in a massive but chaotic airlift by the United States and its allies over the past two weeks, but many who helped Western nations during the 20-year war were left behind. The airlifts followed the rapid retaking of control of the country by the Taliban.

While Republican criticism has been expected over how the withdrawal unfolded, such as the conservative House Freedom Caucus calling for Biden to resign, the president's own Democratic Party has expressed concerns about the process.

US Representative Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat who supported ending the US presence in Afghanistan, said she is concerned about people who couldn't make it to the airport.

"The idea that everybody didn't get out horrifies me," she said.

At least 24 Sacramento-area students are confirmed to be stranded in Afghanistan, according to school officials, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The San Juan Unified school district staff said 24 students had not returned to campuses since the start of the school year.

The office of US Representative Ami Bera, a California Democrat, contacted the school district's staff and said it is working to get the students home.

"Our office has been in close contact with the San Juan Unified School District and have urgently flagged the students' information with the State Department and Department of Defense. We have not received an update from the State Department or the DOD," said a statement from Bera's office.

US Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, said, "Leaving any American citizen behind is unacceptable, and I will keep pushing this administration to do everything in its power to get our people out," CNN reported.

Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said "all four administrations" have made mistakes overseeing the war, but added, "I think the Biden administration should have had a contingency plan for the rapid fall of the Afghan government, and a more orderly process for evacuation," CNN reported.

Biden also criticized former president Donald Trump in how the situation developed, without naming him.

"My predecessor, the former president, signed an agreement with the Taliban to remove US troops by May 1, just months after I was inaugurated. It included no requirement that Taliban work out a cooperative governing arrangement with the Afghan government. But it did authorize the release of 5,000 prisoners last year, including some of the Taliban's top war commanders, among those who just took control of Afghanistan."

According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, 51 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of the withdrawal, while 38 percent support it.

Stories of people who have not been able to make it out of the country have appeared in various media reports.

The Wall Street Journal told the story of Afghan interpreter Mohammed, who helped rescue then-senator Biden and two other senators, John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, who were stranded in an Afghanistan valley after their helicopter was forced to land in a snowstorm in 2008.

"Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family," Mohammed, who asked not to use his full name while in hiding, told the Journal on Monday. "Don't forget me here."

He and his wife and their four children are hiding from the Taliban.

When asked about Mohammed's situation Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "We will get you out. We will honor your service."

The US invasion in 2001 after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States stopped Afghanistan from being used by al-Qaida as a base to attack the US and ended a period of Taliban rule that started in 1996. The Islamic fundamentalist group is now back in control of the mountainous Asian country after its lightning sweep of the country earlier this month routed the Western-funded Afghan army.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the "threat environment" remained high, and the United States was concerned about the potential for Taliban retribution and aware of the threat that ISIS-K poses inside Afghanistan.

ISIS-K is the Islamic State affiliate that claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday in which 13 US service members and 170 Afghans were killed.

Earlier Tuesday, the Taliban celebrated their victory that culminated in the capture of Kabul on Aug 15. They fired guns into the air and paraded coffins draped in US and NATO flags.

The Taliban had controlled the perimeter of the Kabul airport since mid-August as people desperately flocked to the airfield where the US was conducting evacuation flights.

"We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at the airport after a C-17 aircraft took the last US troops out a minute before midnight Monday.

The Taliban now control more territory than when they last ruled before being ousted in 2001 at the start of America's longest war, in which nearly 2,500 US troops and an estimated 240,000 Afghans died. The war's cost has been estimated at $2 trillion.

In what it billed as an exclusive story on Tuesday, Reuters reported on what it said was a transcript and recording of a phone call that Biden had with exiled Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on July 23. The materials were provided on condition of anonymity by a source who was not authorized to distribute it.

Biden advised Ghani to get "buy-in" from powerful Afghans for a military strategy and to put a "warrior" in charge, a reference to Defense Minister General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.

Biden praised the Afghan armed forces, which were trained and funded by the US government. "You clearly have the best military," he told Ghani. "You have 300,000 well-armed forces versus 70-80,000, and they're clearly capable of fighting well."

But Biden also seemed concerned about how the war was going.

"I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban," he said. "And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture."

And while the Taliban celebrated in Kabul, it is still facing pockets of resistance.

At least seven Taliban fighters were killed in clashes in the Panjshir valley north of the capital on Monday night, according to two members of the main anti-Taliban opposition group.

Several thousand anti-Taliban fighters, from local militias as well as remnants of army and special forces units, have gathered in the valley under the command of regional leader Ahmad Massoud.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Any actions taken by the United Nations in Afghanistan should help ease rather than intensify the conflicts, and ensure a smooth transition of the situation there, a Chinese diplomat said on Tuesday.

The situation in Afghanistan has undergone fundamental changes, and China has huge doubts about the necessity and urgency of adopting a resolution at this specific time as well as the balance of the content of the draft, said Wang Wenbin, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, during a regular news conference when asked about China's choice at a vote of the UN Security Council on Monday.

The 15-member council convened on Monday afternoon to vote on a draft resolution proposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The resolution, which urged the Taliban to allow people to leave freely, passed with 13 votes in favor. China and Russia both abstained from the vote.

"The countries concerned hurriedly circulated the draft resolution on the evening of Aug 27, demanding action on the 30th," Wang said. "Nevertheless, China still participated constructively in the consultations, and together with Russia put forward important and reasonable amendments.

"Unfortunately, our amendments have not been fully adopted."

In explanation, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said China has "huge doubts" about the necessity and urgency of adopting the resolution as well as the balance of its content.

"China has always opposed to imposing or forcefully pushing for resolution by any sponsors. Based on the above consideration, China has abstained from the draft resolution," he said.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he was forced to abstain on the draft resolution vote because its authors have ignored Russia's principled concerns. For one, the resolution did not mention the Islamic State and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement in the paragraph on counterterrorism, he said.

Any attempts to "downplay threats emanating from those groups are unacceptable", he said.

Nebenzia also called out what he saw as "attempts to shift responsibility for the failure of the 20-year presence of the US and its Western allies in Afghanistan to the Taliban and to the states of the region that will have to deal with the effects of this prolonged campaign".

Meanwhile, Geng also said that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan should lead to "reflection and correction".

"We hope that relevant countries will realize the fact that withdrawal is not the end of responsibility, but the beginning of reflection and correction," Geng said at an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Afghan situation on Monday.

Relevant countries should learn from the lessons, truly respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as the rights of the Afghans to determine their own future, Geng said.

He expressed hope that relevant countries will change the "wrong practice of imposing their own wills on the others", "the hegemonic practices of imposing sanctions", and using force at every turn.

Probe urged

The envoy stressed that the actions taken by Western troops in the past 20 years, including "the criminal activities carried out by the US and Australian forces for the indiscriminate killing of civilians", must not be wiped out and must continue to be investigated.

The hasty withdrawal of foreign troops has likely provided opportunities for various terrorist organizations to make a comeback, he said.

China hopes that the security of the Kabul airport can be guaranteed, the evacuation of relevant personnel can proceed smoothly, and all parties concerned can strengthen coordination to jointly prevent a new terrorist attack, Geng said.

Afghanistan must never again become the birthplace for terrorism, or a distribution center for terrorists, which Geng called "the bottom line" that Afghanistan must adhere to in any future political settlements.

China hopes that the Taliban will fulfill their commitment and cut off ties with all terrorist organizations completely, Geng said.

Countries should follow the international laws and the Security Council resolutions to "resolutely crack down" on international terrorist forces such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, so as to prevent them from gathering in Afghanistan to cause chaos, the ambassador said.

Geng stressed that there should not be a double standard on the issue of counterterrorism.