Taliban claims victory in Panjshir, Resistance Forces says fight is on – Video Report

Video Report 1

Video on social media showed a group of Taliban members raising their flag outside the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound, with one declaring, “The capital of the Panjshir province is under the control of the Mujahideen.” Panjshir province was the last pocket of armed resistance against the Taliban. It had seen fighting over the weekend with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), led by Panjshiri leader Ahmad Massoud.

“Panjshir province completely fell to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” the Islamist militant group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a tweet on Monday (September 6), adding that some enemy fighters had been killed in battle and others had fled. There was no immediate word from Massoud, who leads a force made up of remnants of regular Afghan army and special forces units as well as local militia fighters. Ali Maisam Nazary, head of foreign relations at the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s claim of victory was false and opposition forces continued to fight. The Taliban seized control of the rest of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 after the Western-backed government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Video Report 2

The Taliban say that they’ve captured the mountain stronghold used by remnants of the Afghan military and anti-Taliban militia fighters, and that the resistance movement’s leader has the fled the country. Video released by the Taliban shows the militants raising their flag outside the governor’s office in the capital of Panjshir province, the last major holdout since Kabul fell last month. This Taliban member is saying that they are purging the entire province. Fighting broke out here a week ago after talks between the two sides broke down.

An official from the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan says opposition forces continue to fight, however. And in a Twitter post on Monday (September 6), the resistance’s leader, Ahmad Massoud, said he was safe but gave no further details. A day earlier Massoud said he was ready to negotiate again with the Taliban and welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a settlement. The resistance confirmed that its main spokesperson had been killed that day. On Monday the Taliban reiterated their calls for national unity said they would not discriminate against the province, which had also been the center of resistance to the previous Taliban government two decades ago.

Massoud is the son of the previous resistance leader, who was assassinated by al Qaeda just days before the 9-11 attacks.