Afghanistan War; Anti Taliban Fighters in Panjshir Valley as Vow Never to Give up

Fresh fighting has been reported in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley, the last pocket of land held by the Taliban.

Amrullah Saleh, one of the valley’s opposition leaders, denied rumors that the Taliban had conquered it as “baseless.”

However, he confessed that conditions are terrible, with the Taliban cutting phone, internet, and power cables. The battle comes as the Taliban prepares to form a government.

See also Latest Taliban News Today; Talibans battle other rebels in Afghan Valley.

Panjshir Valley, located north of Kabul, is one of Afghanistan’s smallest provinces and the only one that has not been conquered by the Taliban.

The traditional anti-Taliban stronghold is located among mountain peaks and is home to between 150,000 and 200,000 people.

Local tribal leader Ahmad Massoud leads the resistance, which includes former Afghan security forces and local militias.

His father fought effectively against the Soviets in the 1980s and the Taliban in the 1990s.

Mr Saleh, Afghanistan’s former vice president, said there had been losses on both sides in a video message supplied to the BBC.

“There is no doubt we are in a difficult situation. We are under invasion by the Taliban,” he said, adding that his forces would not surrender.

But resistance leaders concede that some districts have fallen to the Taliban, while pro-Taliban social media showed clips seeming to show their fighters with captured tanks and other military gear.

Rumours that the Taliban had captured Panjshir prompted celebratory gunfire to ring out in Kabul and other cities, reportedly killing a number of people.A Taliban spokesman said fighters should “avoid firing in the air and thank God instead”.

See also Baradar, Taliban Co-Founder, To Command Afghanistan’s New Government.

The next two weeks are critical, according to both sides, in determining the destiny of the anti-Taliban resistance.

Before proclaiming a new government, the Taliban leadership intends to eliminate Saleh and his followers.

However, if they do not accomplish it by late October, the cold winter months will most certainly hinder further large-scale offensives.

On the other hand, Saleh’s National Resistance Front is biding its time. If anti-Taliban fighters can hold their ground for a few more weeks, they will have at least five months to remobilize and try to persuade other countries to help them.

Foreign countries are adjusting to the new reality of dealing with a Taliban administration, with the Taliban poised to declare a new government in the coming days.

Faiz Hameed, the chief of Pakistan’s intelligence service, is in Kabul for discussions.

Reuters reported earlier this week that he could assist the Taliban in reorganizing the Afghan military.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fly to Qatar. The country plays an important mediating role in Afghanistan, although he is not anticipated to meet with any Taliban representatives.

The European Union and the United Kingdom, like the United States, said on Friday that they will negotiate with the Islamist organization but will not recognize them as Afghanistan’s government.

The BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who is in Kabul, says that while the Taliban are seeking international acceptance, they are seeking it on their terms.