The Taliban proclaimed on Monday the conquest of the province of Panjshir, the only one of the 34 regions that had not fallen into the hands of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
“Panjshir has come under the full control of the Emirate… Some rebels were defeated and the rest fled,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
This assertion, however, was rejected by the National Resistance Front (NRF), which assures that it has not been defeated in the region and that the fighting continues.
“Many enemy forces and commanders died in Panjshir, and some of them fled to hide in the mountains. We still do not know who of their commanders died and who fled,” Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said.
The resistance has been led by former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who proclaimed himself the new president of Afghanistan, and Ahmad Massoud, son of the late Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, “the lion of Panjshir” who led the armed resistance to the Soviets and Taliban.
The Taliban said talks with the resistance to resolve the conflict pacifically were unsuccessful. “We now have the right to resolve any threat against our government and use military force to bring peace and stability,” Mujahid pointed out.
Currently, the Taliban are looking for those who were part of the resistance, “but we forgive them, they can join us,” Mujahid said, adding that the provision of food, communications, and electricity will be re-established in Panjshir.