Afghanistan: Taliban say they have sent “hundreds” of fighters to rebel zone – franceinfo

The Taliban announced on Sunday August 22 that “hundreds” of their fighters were heading for the Panshir valley, north-east of Kabul, one of the few areas of Afghanistan still beyond the control of the Islamist group.

“Hundreds of mujahedin in the Islamic Emirate are heading to Panshir state for control, after local officials refuse to hand him over peacefully.”, wrote the Taliban on their Twitter account in Arabic.

The latter entered the capital Kabul on August 15 without encountering any great resistance, at the end of a lightning offensive that began in May thanks to the start of the withdrawal of American and NATO forces.

A pocket of resistance has formed in the Panshir valley, long known as an anti-Taliban stronghold. This National Resistance Front (FNR) is notably led by Ahmad Massoud, son of Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud, assassinated in 2001 by the jihadist group Al-Qaeda.

An FNR spokesperson told AFP that the Front was preparing to “a long-lasting conflict” with the Taliban if he failed to negotiate with them the formation of an inclusive government.

According to this official, Ali Maisam Nazary, thousands of Afghans have joined the Panshir valley to fight the new regime. Photos taken by AFP during training exercises show armored vehicles driving through the valley northeast of Kabul.