Taliban claim total control over Afghanistan

Kabul - The Taliban had earlier published a video of their flag being raised over the governor's house in Panjshir.

The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule.

Following their lightning-fast victory in mid-August over the former Afghan government's security forces and the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war, the Taliban turned to fighting the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir Valley.

As the group claimed victory, their chief spokesman warned against any further attempts to rise up against their rule while urging former members of the security forces to join their regime's ranks.

"With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war," chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

"Anyone who tries to start an insurgency will be hit hard. We will not allow another," he later added at press conference in Kabul.

The Taliban had earlier published a video of their flag being raised over the governor's house in Panjshir