As we've been reporting, there have been competing claims as resistance fighters deny the Taliban's claims that its fighters have seized Panjshir. Here's what you need to know about the area.

Panjshir, a rugged mountain valley, is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people. It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban's previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

The long, deep and dusty valley stretches about 75 miles (120km) - south-west to north-east - to the north of the Afghan capital Kabul. It is protected by high mountain peaks - rising 9,800ft (3,000m) above the valley floor. They are an imposing natural barrier - protection for the people living there.

There is only one narrow road in, which winds its way between large rocky outcrops and the meandering Panjshir River.

"There is a mythical aspect to the entire area. It's not just one valley. Once you get into it there are at least another 21 sub valleys connected," says Shakib Sharifi, who lived there as a child, but left Afghanistan after the Taliban took control.

At the far end of the main valley, a trail leads up to the 4,430m (14,534ft) Anjoman Pass and heads further east into the Hindu Kush mountains. The armies of Alexander the Great and Tamerlane - the last of the great nomadic conquerors of Central Asia - both passed this way.

You can read more about the valley here.

We'll be bringing you all the latest updates from Afghanistan. Here are some of the biggest developments:

• The Taliban claim they are now in complete control of Panjshir Valley - the final pocket of territory that has remained outside their rule
• This has, however, been disputed by resistance fighters, who say they are still present in "all strategic locations"
• Internet and phone lines in the area are cut off
• The Taliban are expected to give a press conference later
• UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has met Taliban leaders and urged them to protect all civilians, especially women, girls and minorities
• According to the UN, 18 million Afghans, nearly half of the population, are in need of humanitarian assistance
• Witnesses told the BBC that Taliban militants killed a policewoman in Firozkoh, the capital of central Ghor province. The Taliban said they were investigating

Image source, AFP

We're now pausing our Afghanistan live coverage. A reminder of Friday's main developments:

• Heavy fighting has been reported between the Taliban and resistance fighters in the Panjshir Valley - the only province that has not fallen to the Islamist group
• There's been claim and counter-claim, with Taliban sources saying they've taken control of the valley, but the resistance maintaining they are still holding out
• US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has announced there will be a virtual meeting of G20 ministers on Afghanistan next week
• The EU and Britain have joined the US in saying they will deal with the Taliban but won’t recognise them as Afghanistan’s government
• Meanwhile Russia has said that the US withdrawal has caused a humanitarian disaster

• A number of women were pictured protesting for their rights in front of the presidential palace in Kabul
• The Afghan flag carrier, Ariana Airlines, has said that domestic flights from Kabul airport will resume from Friday
• The Taliban will announce a government on Saturday at the earliest, a spokesman told AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte have agreed to work together to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan as soon as possible, Mr Johnson's office said.

The pair spoke over the phone on Friday afternoon, and "stressed that any recognition of the Taliban must be predicated on them upholding human rights and allowing safe passage out of the country" a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"They agreed to work together to re-establish an international diplomatic presence in Afghanistan as soon as the political and security environment allows."

The pair also "agreed on the need for a coordinated international effort to prevent a humanitarian emergency in the region".

Image source, Getty Images

Some people recently evacuated from Afghanistan by the US were on the country’s terror watchlists and not allowed to enter the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said.

“We deny access to individuals whose derogatory information is not resolved and we do not feel confident in the safety and security of the American people,” NBC quoted him as saying.

Mr Mayorkas added that the US was working with international allies to “address the disposition of those individuals,” some of whom were flagged while they were in transit, mid-evacuation.

He did not say whether any evacuees deemed a security risk had landed on US soil, but explained that there was another layer of protection as many people were routed through third party countries such as Qatar, Germany and Spain where they underwent security screening.

He told reporters that at least 50,000 Afghans would be given entry to the US under a promise to help those who assisted the US military, or Afghans who risked persecution by the Taliban.

Image source, Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there'll be a virtual meeting of G20 ministers on Afghanistan in Germany next week.

Blinken said he would lead the 20-nation ministerial meeting alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

Speaking to reporters, the secretary of state said his department was in "constant contact" with Americans who are still in Afghanistan and want to leave.

And he said the US will "maintain channels of communication" with the Taliban on important issues.

Blinken leaves for Qatar on Sunday where he will thank the government for its help with the recent huge airlift from Afghanistan.

British army officers who helped to evacuate people from Kabul following the Taliban takeover have been reflecting on the operation.

Senior commander Brigadier James Martin spoke of his soldiers' resilience in the face of seeing children and women dying in front of them.

"There were emotions all the way through the operation. You can't see a young child, a baby, a woman crushed to death in front of you and then you having to deal with the aftermath of that without being emotional," he said.

But, he added, "the scenes of emotion were saved until after the event".

Lt Col Dave Middleton, meanwhile, said the situation was "more chaotic than we perhaps first thought".

Watch the video below for the full story:

The Taliban has been removing street murals in Afghanistan.

Murals including those from the Art Lords team - which told stories of journalists, doctors and a yearning for peace, are among those being painted over.

The removal of photos has brought back unhappy memories for BBC reporter Sodaba Haidare.

Image source, AFP

Aside from murals, pictures of women are also being removed from the streets.

This image taken in Kabul on Friday shows the faces of women completely removed from the side of a building.

Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

"Why are you travelling without a mahram?" the Taliban guard asks a young Afghan woman about her missing male escort.

She sits on her own in the back of a beat-up Kabul yellow taxi as it pulls up to the checkpoint marked, like all the others, by the white Taliban flag with black script.

What is allowed now in Kabul, and what is not?

The turbaned Talib, rifle slung over shoulder, tells her to call her husband. When she explains she doesn't have a phone, he instructs another taxi driver to take her home to get her husband and bring them back. Once completed, all is resolved.

Kabul is still a city of a grinding traffic gridlock, wooden market carts groaning with Afghan green grapes and deep purple plums, and street kids in tattered tunics threading through the melee.

On the surface, the city seems much the same. It's not.

It's a capital governed by Taliban statements, and some Taliban on the streets.

"Be careful in how you deal with your people. This nation has suffered a lot. Be gentle," urged spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in an impromptu press conference, flanked by fighters in full combat gear, the first day after the last US soldier flew home.

Some things don't need saying. As soon as the Taliban swept, with surprising speed, into Kabul last month, Afghans knew what to do during Taliban rule 2.0. Men stopped shaving to allow beards to grow; women switched bright scarves to black ones and checked the length of their dresses and cloaks.

So much else is uncertain, unnerving.

Read the full story here

Taliban and Afghan flags have been waved side by side at a cricket match in Kabul.

The Twenty20 trial match at Kabul International Cricket Stadium was between two Afghan teams - Peace Defenders and Peace Heroes.

It was the first match since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan last month. Armed Taliban fighters were keeping guard among the crowd and watching the game.

"It is great to be here and watch cricket," a Taliban commander named Hamza told AFP news agency, with a rifle slung over his shoulder.

The match has raised further questions over what cultural and sports events will be allowed under the Taliban's rule.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, Reuters

For those of you just joining us, here’s a roundup of the major developments over the past 24 hours:

• Heavy fighting has been reported between the Taliban and resistance fighters in the Panjshir Valley - the only province that has not fallen to the Islamist group
• Taliban sources say they now control the whole of Afghanistan, but their opponents in the valley say they're continuing to hold out
• The EU and Britain have joined the US in saying they will deal with the Taliban but won’t recognise them as Afghanistan’s government
• Meanwhile Russia has said that the US withdrawal has caused a humanitarian disaster

• On Friday, a number of women were pictured protesting for their rights in front of the presidential palace in Kabul
• The Afghan flag carrier, Ariana Airlines, has said that domestic flights from Kabul airport will resume from Friday
• The Taliban will announce a government on Saturday at the earliest, a spokesman told AFP

As we mentioned earlier, gunfire has been heard in Kabul.

It appears that this could be related to claims from three Taliban sources that the militant group have captured the Panjshir Valley.

"The troublemakers have been defeated and Panjshir is now under our command," one Taliban commander told the news agency.

But these claims from the Taliban cannot be confirmed.

National Resistance Front (NRF) spokesman Ali Nazari said the rebels had actually pushed the Taliban back.

Other potential reasons for the gunfire include the Taliban leader entering Kabul or co-founder Mullah Baradar being appointed head of state.

Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of the resistance, has shared a video to prove he is still in the Panjshir Valley.

He said media reports about him fleeing are "baseless".

"There is no doubt we are in a difficult situation. We are under invasion by the Taliban", he said.

"They have had casualties, no doubt we have had casualties. Yesterday I attended the funeral of my fallen brothers who lost their lives in this sacred and holy defence of Afghanistan".

He said he was sharing the video to assure people that reports suggesting he has left Afghanistan are false.

"We will not surrender, we are standing for Afghanistan," he said.

The Panjshir Valley is the only province that has not fallen to the Taliban but there has been heavy fighting reported between the groups.

Anti-Taliban fighters battling the militants in Panjshir Valley say the Taliban have not seized control of the area - despite claims from the Taliban that they have.

National Resistance Front (NRF) spokesperson Ali Nazari said the rebels had in fact pushed the Taliban onto the back foot.

"The Taliban's propaganda machine keeps publishing the same claims that Panjshir has fallen - we have seen it for the past week that it is false, and it's the opposite - that it's the National Resistance Front that has caused them to retreat," he told BBC World News.

Mr Nazari said NRF forces had encircled and besieged Taliban fighters in the north-eastern part of the Valley.

"There are well over a few hundred Taliban who are trapped. And they are running out of munitions and they are negotiating terms of surrender right now."

The BBC's Afghanistan correspondent Secunder Kermani has shared video footage in which heavy gunfire can be heard in Kabul.

The BBC is trying to verify the reason behind the gunfire.

Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent

A six-year-old Afghan boy evacuated from Kabul to Poland has died after eating poisonous wild mushrooms at the migrant centre his family were staying at near Warsaw, his doctors confirmed on Friday.

The day before, his five-year-old brother, who also ate the mushrooms, died in the same hospital.

The brothers were taken to Warsaw Children’s Memorial Health Centre in a critical condition with acute liver failure on 26 August, two days after they ate the mushrooms whilst staying in the migrant centre, which is located in a forest outside Warsaw.

The older brother had a liver transplant on Tuesday to try to save his life and although the operation was considered successful his condition deteriorated further in the last 48 hours.

His five-year-old brother had suffered irreversible brain damage and was unable to have a transplant.

A 17-year-old Afghan girl, reportedly from the same family, who also ate poisonous mushrooms, has recovered and has been discharged from the hospital.

The family were among 1,024 Afghan citizens who worked with NATO forces in Afghanistan and were evacuated by the Polish military. Some media reports said the family ate the mushrooms because they were hungry, but the migrant centre said each family received three full meals a day. Police have launched an investigation into the poisoning.

Poland has 12,000 species of fungi and more than 250 are poisonous, some of which can be deadly.

Employees of migrant centres have been instructed to warn all foreigners not to eat wild mushrooms. Collecting mushrooms in the autumn is very popular in Poland and every year some Poles are hospitalised after eating poisonous varieties.

We have some more news coming from Qatar.

A senior official from the Gulf state's foreign ministry has arrived in Kabul for talks with Taliban leaders.

Special envoy Dr Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani arrived on Friday to hold talks on forming an inclusive Afghan government and the reopening of the Kabul airport.

Dr Al Qahtani said, “as an impartial mediator in this process, Qatar has engaged with all sides. As of now, our priority with the Taliban includes guaranteeing a peaceful transfer of power and ensuring an inclusive and effective government is formed to serve the Afghan people".

The Gulf state has emerged as a key interlocutor with the Taliban, having hosted the militant group's political office since 2013 and was the site of the historic agreement between the US and the Taliban last year.

Taliban fighters have launched a heavy assault on the final holdout to their rule in the Panjshir Valley, the BBC understands.

The situation is reportedly fluid and both sides have claimed they're gaining the upper hand. Hundreds of fighters are reported to have been killed.

However former Vice-President Amrullah Saleh has denied rumours on social media that he has fled the country. He told the BBC's Yalda Hakim the claims are "baseless" and that "he remains in the Valley".

Qatar says it hopes to see humanitarian aid corridors established at Afghanistan airports within 24 hours.

Qatar has been working with the Taliban to quickly reopen Kabul’s airport, following the exit of US troops on 31 August.

“We hope in the next 24 or 48 hours to see the opening of humanitarian corridors so humanitarian aid can enter through Kabul airport – and other functioning airports,” Mutlaq al-Qahtani told Al Jazeera.

A humanitarian corridor is when an agreement is made between nations to allow the safe transit of aid in and out of an area in crisis. The Taliban are being accused of preventing aid from getting into the Panjshir Valley, where there is currently heavy fighting against anti-Taliban forces.

Image source, Getty Images

During the Taliban's previous rule, women were not allowed to work and music was banned.

So when the militants advanced on Kabul, Negin Khpalwak, conductor of Zohra, Afghanistan's all female orchestra, moved fast - hiding a small set of drums in her room.

She then collected up photographs and article clippings on her musical performances, put them in a pile and burnt them.

• Afghan music school falls silent under Taliban rule

"I felt so awful, it felt like that whole memory of my life was turned into ashes," she told Reuters news agency from the US, following her escape.

Zohra Orchestra has performed to enormous audiences all over the world.

Now, the Taliban have taken control of its home - the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM). It was a trailblazing music school which educated girls and boys in the same room - a rarity in Afghanistan - and taught students both Afghan and Western classical music.

And according to Reuters news agency militants in some parts of the country have ordered radio stations to stop.