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Over to Afghanistan, where the Taliban said they have taken control of Panjshir, the last and only province they had failed to seize during their meteoric offensive last month across the country.
As the Taliban officially starts ruling the country again, top U.S. national security officials are scheduled to meet with key allies in the Persian Gulf and Europe this week to discuss how the failed war in Afghanistan may be reshaping America's relationships with countries in the Middle East.
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Scenes of thousands of Taliban fighters overrunning eight districts of Panjshir province overnight tell no lies.
The Taliban and anti-Taliban forces, which had been led by former Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, had been at odds over who had control of that province.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement, claiming Panjshir was currently under Taliban control.
Meantime, in northern Balkh province, at least four chartered flights carrying several hundred people seeking to flee Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country.
Speaking anonymously, an Afghan official said people aboard the four flights were Afghans, many of whom didn't have passports nor visas, and hence were unable to leave for a sanctuary.
Words Republican Michael McCaul of Texas denounced, saying the Taliban stretched the truth, and accusing the Taliban of not allowing the flights' departure and holding them hostage.
McCaul didn't touch upon the source of that information, nor did he say if the U.S. would at least pull a few strings to help American and Afghan interpreters on the planes when it comes to the crunch.
Now in good shape to meet with key allies in the Persian Gulf and Europe later this week are Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who are travelling to the Gulf separately. Both will meet with leaders whose support is instrumental in preventing Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for terrorist organisations.
Their trips are aimed at reassuring Gulf and Arab allies that Biden's decision to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan does not bespeak America's abandonment of its steadfast allies in the Middle East.
A lack of planning beforehand, which led to doubts about the U.S.' commitments to its allies, was a malady in the haphazard U.S.-led evacuation, of which everyone has an indelible memory.
The Pentagon chief plans to begin his trip in Qatar, where he is expected to thank Qatari leaders for their cooperation during the Kabul airlift.
But notably absent from the Gulf States in the Kabul evacuation was Saudi Arabia, who signed a military cooperation agreement with Moscow days before the end of America's mission in Afghanistan.
Suffice it to say, the Taliban are now seeking to win residents in Panjshir over by assuring residents there that they would be in good hands, even as a scrum of Afghans reportedly fled into the mountains prior to the Taliban's arrival.
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