Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Monday that the Islamist group has seized control of Panjshir province, the only territory in Afghanistan beyond its control.
Panjshir Valley “was cleared today [6 de septiembre] completely, “he said at a press conference in Kabul, the capital.
He also said that the fighters in the area – the National Resistance Front (FRN), a multi-ethnic group made up of militias and former members of the Afghan security forcesled by the guerrilla Ahmad Massoud – they refused to negotiate their surrender.
He also said that the leaders of the Panjshir resistance are “disappeared at the moment” and that they seized the weapons of the fighters.
Days earlier, the Islamists had posted photos and videos on social media of key places in the valley that they apparently took control of.
What are the rebels in Panjshir saying?
During the Taliban press conference, Ali Nazary, the NRF’s foreign affairs chief, said on Twitter that their leader Ahmad Massoud is safe. Massoud himself published a tweet confirming that information.
So far, the Panjshir resistance has rejected all claims that the valley has fallen to the Taliban.
“The claim that the Taliban have occupied Panjshir is falseThe group said in a tweet.
Taliban’s claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the ppl of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban & their partners will continue until justice & freedom prevails.
– National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (@nrfafg) September 6, 2021
“The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions in the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the fight against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevail. ”
Pansjhir has for 40 years been a historic bastion of resistance against invading forces, including the Taliban regime of the 1990s.