FOR THE TALIBAN, HARD PART IS ONLY BEGINNING: By most accounts, the Taliban is now in total control of Afghanistan, after the fall of the Panjshir Valley. They have Afghanistan in a vice-like grip. But with total power, comes full responsibility. The Taliban are yet to finalise their new government, three weeks after their astonishing military victory. The challenges ahead are too numerous to mention, but the main ones involve the precarious situation of an economy close to collapse, and rights of individuals. They even need to work out something as basic as the handling of the international airport. For the Taliban, the toughest phase might only now be starting. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]
AFP