In Afghanistan, the Taliban has claimed control over Panjshir Valley, the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces. A spokesperson said the Taliban was in the final stages of forming a new government, with an announcement expected shortly. He denied reports of infighting and a power struggle within the Taliban’s ranks.

Meanwhile, attacks on Afghan women are continuing to escalate. Witnesses in the central Ghor province said Taliban militants beat a female police officer in front of her family Saturday before fatally shooting her. In Kabul, protesters and journalists were assaulted Saturday at a rally demanding equal rights. Protesters said Taliban soldiers blocked them from marching on to the presidential palace.

Soraya: “Together with a group of our colleagues, we wanted to go near a former government office for a protest. But before we got there, the Taliban hit women with electric Tasers, and they used tear gas against women. They also hit women on the head with a gun magazine, and the women became bloody. There was no one to ask why.”