Taliban gain control of Panjshir Valley but are yet to form an official government

John Yang:

In the day's other news: A senior State Department official confirmed that the United States evacuated four Americans from Afghanistan and relocated them to a nearby country.

It's the first known U.S. overland extraction since the August 31 withdrawal.

As Ali Rogin reports, that comes as Taliban fighters claim to have seized the country's last pocket of resistance.

Ali Rogin:

Taliban fighters raised their flag over the Panjshir Valley, declaring complete control of what it calls the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Fighters in the Northeastern province resisted the Taliban after their takeover three weeks ago, just as they did in the 1990s. But, on Monday, a Taliban spokesman said they had been defeated.

Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban Spokesman (through translator):

The last nest of the fugitive enemy was completely cleared today and last night.

Ali Rogin:

Now that they control the whole country, Taliban leaders are facing the reality of having to govern it. They have repeatedly delayed announcing the new government and are already denying reports of political infighting.

Zabihullah Mujahid (through translator):

Rumors about internal disputes in the Islamic Emirate are false.

Ali Rogin:

Kabul's main currency exchange reopened for the first time in weeks, sparking a rush of people using Afghanistan's informal banking system.

But as other banks reopen under Taliban control, they are cut off from the world. Afghans wait in long lines to withdraw a maximum of $200 per week.

Mr. Ansari, Kabul Resident (through translator):

Today, the people's problem is economic. People are pouring into here. They don't know if their money is in the bank.

Ali Rogin:

Domestic flights have resumed at the Kabul Airport. But there is no radar, so pilots navigate using only their vision. Aviation rules prevent international flights under those conditions.

At a separate airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, charter planes reportedly filled with Americans have been grounded for days. Organizers blamed the State Department for failing to get takeoff permission from the Taliban. The State Department said it could not confirm the presence of Americans on the tarmac.

Meanwhile, women's rights activists rejected the Taliban's new rules that essentially bar them from public life. In Kabul over the weekend, protesters were defiant.

Fatima Etmadi, Protester (through translator):

We not only ask the Islamic Emirate government, but also all of the international community, especially women from other countries around the world, to support us.

Ali Rogin:

But in a sign of Kabul's new normal, the Taliban broke up the protest with force, including tear gas.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Ali Rogin.