The Taliban assured this Monday that their fighters achieved the conquest of the northern province of Panjshir, the only one of the 34 regions of Afghanistan that had not fallen into the hands of insurgents and remained defended by the resistance forces.
“The last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, Panjshir province, was completely conquered“the main Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement.
According to the spokesperson, “Panjshir province has come under the full control of the Islamic Emirate (as the Taliban call themselves) “after intense days of fighting.
“Some of the rebels in the province were defeated and the rest fled, liberating the oppressed people and honorable of Panjshir, “Mujahid added.
The Taliban conquered the only province left in the hands of the resistance. Photo Jalaluddin Sekandar / AP
Panjshir was until now the only one of the 34 Afghan provinces that was not under the control of the Islamists, after the group captured the remaining 33 regions in less than two weeks, culminating the achievement with the capture of Kabul on August 15.
“With this victory and last effort, the rest of the country will be completely out of the war and will have a peaceful and prosperous life in an environment of freedom, independence and prosperity“, concluded the spokesman.
The province of Panjshir had resisted defended by the National Resistance Front, formed by local guerrillas and Afghan government troops overthrown who took refuge in the region during their retreat.
The resistance has been led by former Afghan Vice President, Amrullah Saleh, the self-proclaimed new president of Afghanistan after former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country during the takeover of Kabul, and Ahmad Massoud, son of the late Afghan commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, “the lion of the Panjshir “, a legend for having stood up to the Soviets and the Taliban.
Panjshir’s resistance to the Taliban forces fell. Photo Ahmad Sahel Arman / AFP
Fighting has intensified in recent days after dialogue attempts failed of the fundamentalists and Ahmad Massoud to find a way out of the conflict.
So far, neither Ahmad Massoud nor Amrullah Saleh have confirmed their surrender or the fall of the province.
Panjshir was also the center of resistance against the Islamist group during the previous Taliban regime, between 1996 and 2001, which ended with a US invasion that came to a chaotic end after almost two decades of war.
With information from EFE
DB
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source https://pledgetimes.com/afghanistan-the-taliban-announce-the-conquest-of-panjshir-the-last-province-in-the-hands-of-the-resistance/
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