Panjshir Valley Resistance: The Taliban on September 6, 2021 claimed to have gained complete control over Panjshir Valley, the last holdout of the anti-Taliban forces in the country. Several top leaders of the Afghanistan National Resistance Front were killed including Resistance Front spokesperson Fahim Dashti, Gul Haider Khan, Munib Amiri and Wadood, a nephew of Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The head of the Afghanistan resistance force, Ahmad Massoud is reportedly alive and at a safe place. Former Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh is also at a safe place after the bombardment of the house where he was staying. He has been moved to an undisclosed location.
The Resistance Front, however, denied complete fall of Panjshir Valley, saying that that the resistance force is present at "strategic positions" and added that fight against the Taliban in Panjshir Valley 'will continue'.
#UPDATES National Resistance Front, the anti-Taliban resistance in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, says present in "strategic positions", adds "struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue" after Taliban say they captured the area pic.twitter.com/Nn2rYw1rQ7
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 6, 2021
Panjshir Valley Resistance
Panjshir province, which lies to the north of Afghan capital Kabul, was the only province that had not fallen to the Taliban during its earlier regime and to the Soviets before that. It had become the last hold out of the anti-Taliban resistance front led by Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud amid the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement on September 6th claiming that Panjshir was now under the control of the Taliban fighters. As per reports, thousands of Taliban fighters took eight districts of Panjshir overnight. Several pictures also emerged on social media that show Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound.
#BREAKING Taliban say Panjshir Valley 'completely captured' pic.twitter.com/38ztUhuenD
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 6, 2021
Fight against Taliban 'will continue': National Resistance Front
The National Resistance Front in its latest statement has said that their fight against the Taliban in Panjshir Valley will continue. This comes amid reports of a ceasefire in Panjshir valley after heavy losses.
The Resistance Front has proposed the Taliban to withdraw from Panjshir, in return, it will refrain from military action. Resistance leader, Ahmad Massoud said, "The National Resistance Front is ready to immediately end the war in order to achieve lasting peace if the Taliban end their attacks and military operations in Panjshir and Andarab."
#BREAKING Fight against Taliban in Panjshir Valley 'will continue': National Resistance Front pic.twitter.com/Z7XpFFIyK8
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 6, 2021
Various religious scholars had earlier called for a ceasefire between the Taliban and the Resistance Front in Panjshir, urging both parties to negotiate a peaceful solution. One of the religious clerics, Abdul Qader Qanet said that if the situation continues, the country will turn into an ethnicity-based and region-based conflict.
Resistance leader Ahmad Massoud ready to talk to Taliban?
The Resistance leader, Ahmad Massoud, said that he is in support of clerics in Kabul who have called for an end to the fighting. He said in a Facebook post that he is ready to talk once the Taliban withdraw troops from Panjshir and the neighboring district of Andarab.
Ahmad Massoud said that the resistance front has agreed to certain measures "to facilitate the requirements of national peace and security in the country" and hopes that the Taliban will respond to the request of the clerics and take practical steps."
What is the National Resistance FrontThe National Resistance Front is made up of local fighters loyal to Ahmad Massoud and the remnants of the Afghan military who had retreated to the Panjshir Valley. Ahmad Massoud is the son of the legendary anti-Taliban leader, also popularly known as the Lion of Panjshir -Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance commander who was killed in 2001, days before the 9/11 attacks. The resistance front is one of the last rays of hope for Afghans against a complete Taliban takeover amid the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. The resistance has kept up the fight against the Taliban for almost two weeks after the fall of Kabul. |
Background
Panjshir's complete takeover comes as the Taliban is planning to form a new government in Afghanistan. The Taliban during its regime this time has pledged to be more inclusive than its first rule.
Comments
All Comments (0)
Join the conversation