Weeks after taking over the reigns of the Afghanistan government, the Taliban on Monday declared that they had 'completely captured' the holdout Panjshir Valley. The reports quote Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid and photos now circulating on social media show Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial governor's compound.
"Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered. With the help of God Almighty and with the broad support of our nation, our latest efforts for the complete security of the country and the province have paid off," read a rough translation of the statement put out by the Taliban on Twitter.
Despite the Taliban's claims however, the National Resistance Front has reportedly vowed to carry on fighting. According to reports quoting the group, they are present in "strategic positions" across the valley. Thus far, there has been no word from Resistance leaders such as Ahmad Massoud or Amrullah Saleh.
With both sides having suffered heavy casualties, Resistance chief Ahmad Massoud had hours earlier taken to the National Resistance Front's Facebook page to say that the NRF was ready to continue negotiations. According to follow-up reports, the Taliban has rejected this proposal for a ceasefire.
"The National Resistance Front is ready to stop the war immediately in order to achieve stable peace, if the Taliban group ends its military attacks and movements in Panjshir and Andarab," Massoud had said.
The news of a purported Taliban takeover also comes hours after Panjshir resistance spokesperson Fahim Dashti and a senior leader were reported dead on Sunday. Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke to news agency AP on condition of anonymity.
Earlier updates from the National Resistance Front (NRF) had painted a somewhat contradictory picture. On Sunday, reports suggested that 600 Taliban fighters had been killed and more than 1,500 captured by the resistance. Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford quoted sources within the Valley to contend that the NRF claimed to have surrounded hundreds of Taliban fighters in Khawak Pass. As per the reports, the Taliban had abandoned vehicles and equipment in the Dashte Rewak area.
