Taliban surround Panjshir, last Afghan province to resist them: defenders say they will not negotiate

The Taliban said on Monday that their fighters surrounded resistance forces hiding in the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan., but that they sought to negotiate rather than fight with them.

The announcement follows reports of nightly clashes., while pro-Taliban social media accounts claimed gunmen were surrendering, and the former vice president of Afghanistan said resistance forces remained strong.

Taliban fighters “They are stationed near the Panjshir“The spokesperson tweeted Zabihullah Mujahid, saying they had the area circled on three sides.

“The Islamic Emirate is trying to solve this problem peacefully”added.

Pro-resistance social media accounts dismissed earlier allegations of being cornered, saying the Taliban fighters had been ambushed and defeated.

Claims on both sides were impossible to independently verify from a remote mountainous region that is largely inaccessible.

The valley of Panjshir, famous for its natural defenses never penetrated by Soviet forces or the Taliban in previous conflicts, it remains the last great bastion of the anti-Taliban forces led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the famous mujahideen chief Ahmed Shah Massoud.

Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself via Twitter as the new legitimate president of the country, He is there too, and photos posted on social networks in recent days show him in conversation with Massoud. Also at Panjshir is the former Minister of Defense, General Bismillah Mohammad.

The valley is protected by a narrow gorge, making entry or escape extraordinarily difficult for outsiders, who can be eliminated by entrenched forces located on higher ground.

In a recent opinion piece published by The Washington Post, Massoud asked for weapons and help to fight the Taliban.

“Today, I am writing from the Panjshir Valley, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with Mujahedin fighters who are ready to face the Taliban again.”, it reads in the text. “The Taliban are not the exclusive problem of the Afghan people. Under the control of the Taliban, Afghanistan will undoubtedly become the ground zero for radical Islamist terrorism: plots against democracies will again be hatched here. “

A spokesperson for the National Anti-Taliban Resistance Front de Massoud told the AFP the weekend that the group was prepared for a “long-term conflict”, but what do you prefer negotiate for an inclusive government.

“The conditions for a peace agreement with the Taliban are decentralization, a system that guarantees social justice, equality, rights and freedom for all”he said to AFP el portavoz Ali Maisam Nazary.

After the collapse of the US-backed government last week, the Taliban consolidate their hold on the country and organize a series of meetings with old enemies, including opposition politicians and warlords.

(With information from AFP and AP)

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