Afghanistan: militia endure ‘heavy assaults’ from Taliban in Panjshir Valley

Rebels say they are holding on despite celebratory gunfire in Kabul amid reports that hardliners have wiped out last pocket of resistance

Militia forces say they are enduring heavy assaults" as they battle the Taliban in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, the final holdout against hardline Islamist control.

The Taliban face the enormous challenge of shifting gears from insurgent group to governing power, days after the US fully withdrew its troops and ended two decades of war.