Peaceful talks to resolve ‘Panjshir problem’ failed, say Taliban
Both Taliban and opposition forces suffer casualties: Eyewitnesses
Fighting between the Taliban and an opposition movement has intensified in Afghanistan’s mountainous Panjshir Valley region, as the group’s leaders in Kabul prepare to announce a new government.
Panjshir Valley is the last remaining stronghold of opposition against Taliban rule and has a long history of resistance under the late commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who led an offensive against the Soviets in the 1980s and later against the first Taliban regime. Massoud was assassinated in 2001.
The current opposition in
Panjshir, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, was formed by Massoud’s son Ahmad and Amrullah Saleh who, until the recent Taliban takeover, was Afghanistan’s first vice president.
After sporadic fighting that started in mid-August, a multipronged attack on Panjshir began on Thursday night, after US forces completed their withdrawal and ended their two-decade presence on Afghan soil earlier this week.
“Our forces have launched a massive operation against the forces based in Panjshir,” Taliban spokesperson Bilal Karimi told Arab News. “Peaceful talks for resolving (the) Panjshir problem failed.”
He said thousands of Taliban soldiers had launched the attack on Panjshir — from the region’s eastern border in Badakhshan and Nooristan provinces, and from its southern border in Kapisa province.
The fighting continued, with the Taliban expected to unveil their new government on Saturday.
NRFA spokesperson Fahim Dashti said the Taliban had offered the Massoud-led front a 50 percent share of power in Afghanistan, but that the offer was declined.
“We were negotiating with the Taliban but unfortunately the group spoke about private interests (rather) than national interest,” Dashti told Arab News, adding that the talks were “horrible.”
“I hope that the Taliban have understood that there is no military solution for the current crisis. (In) the last 98 hours, movements of the group have shown that they would not succeed if there would be no political settlement.”
According to sources within the NRFA, Panjshir forces had succeeded in gaining ground in neighboring Parwan and Kapisa provinces and captured at least 50 Taliban fighters. Arab News could not verify the claim.
Eyewitnesses said both the Taliban and the NRFA had suffered casualties since Thursday night.
“The war intensified since 11 p.m. of last night and it continued until 6 a.m. of today,” local resident Mohammad Ullah told Arab News on the phone from Kapisa’s Gulbahar district. “The situation is so difficult here.”