Battles Continue in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley
Battles continue in Panjshir after the Taliban announced capturing the province.
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Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban forces take part in military training in Panjshir province, Afghanistan, Aug 30, 2021. (AFP)
Al Mayadeen sources reported that battles in Panjshir province are continuing between the Taliban and Afghan resistance forces on three different fronts. Our sources also clarified that the gunshots heard in Kabul were not in rejoice over the Taliban entering the province, but rather because of the group's leader entering it amid leaks indicating that the Taliban are close to announcing a new government.
In turn, former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh posted a video of him in Panjshir province, in which he denied all reports regarding his fleeing: "Reports that I have left my country and am outside Afghanistan are the propaganda of the enemy," he said.
He revealed he was in Panjshir: "I'm at my base. We have had several meetings with commanders, and we manage the situation with political figures," he stated. Saleh explained that they are under attack by the Taliban, al-Qaeda, "and the terrorists with the support of the Pakistanis."
The former Afghan leader declared that both parties, the Taliban and the resistance have suffered casualties. He also confirmed that they are under attack "from two or three fronts," saying the situation is under their control.
Previously, Bilal Karimi, a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, had announced that the Taliban captured Parian, one of the largest districts in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, while a Kabul police source told Sputnik the Taliban captured Panjshir.
The Taliban's attempts at capturing Panjshir come as the group was making efforts to form a government. The Taliban's sources are saying Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be head of said government, while Mohammad Yaqoob, eldest son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, as well as Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, will have senior governmental positions.
This is happening after the Taliban assumed control of nearly the entirety of Afghanistan following the United States withdrawal from the country. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has been very chaotic, making it incredibly embarrassing for the United States. The Strategic Research Institute of Pakistan published a video showing US soldiers destroying their vehicles and weapons after they failed to take them out of the country they invaded.
Even though I’m not an expert on destroying military equipment...
— Vera Van Horne (@VeraVanHorne) September 3, 2021
It seems even a Molotov cocktail would’ve been more efficient. #Afghanistan
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