After 20 years of devastating war, Afghans in cities far from the capital Kabul are feeling a mix of relief and dread about what awaits them under the Taliban.

The triumph of the hardline Islamist group and the mass surrender of government forces has brought a long-desired respite from fighting, which has left tens of thousands dead and millions homeless since 2001.

Former Afghan government forces forming a resistance movement in a fortified valley are preparing for "long-term conflict," but are also seeking to negotiate with the Taliban, their spokesman told AFP in an interview.

Concern is mounting over freedoms in Tunisia as President Kais Saied presses ahead with a "purge" that has seen politicians, judges and businessmen arrested or banned from travel, activists say.

The combined effects of war and drought linked to global warming have put one-third of Afghanistan's population -- 14 million people -- at risk of severe or acute hunger, the U.N. World Food Program warned.

The dire assessment comes as the country faces an uncertain future after the Taliban routed the government to take power over the weekend.

Life is returning to normal for some Afghans in the capital, although Kabul's normally crowded streets appear empty of their usual traffic congestion.

The Taliban have not imposed any restrictions on people so far, as they prepare for Friday prayers. Having a long beard and wearing traditional hats and clothes were required while the group was ruling the country in the late 90s.

In just seven days, any lingering dreams of a free Afghanistan died.

As last week dawned, many clung to hope that the Taliban could be held back, though key trade routes had been seized, border crossings overtaken and swaths of remote areas clutched. But then, in just a week, militants won city after city, toppled the government and grabbed the grand prize of Kabul.

Chaotic scenes in Kabul accompanied the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The fundamentalist Islamic group was able to retake power after President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from the country.

The withdrawal brings to a close nearly 20 years of American military presence in Afghanistan.

Lebanon, where a fuel tank explosion killed at least 20 people Sunday, is mired in what the World Bank calls one of the world's worst economic crises since the 1850s.

Three years after Syria's government retook control of the flashpoint southern province of Daraa, regime forces have clashed with rebels again, trapping thousands of civilians in the crossfire.

Nearly half of the population of the rebel-held Daraa al-Balad district have fled heavy shelling and ground battles, but the United Nations warns that remaining civilians are cut off with dwindling supplies.

Kitted out and nowhere to go: many young Iraqis in Baghdad make an effort to be hip, even as they admit their country may have no future.