The Taliban claim that its fighters were surrounded by Punjir: But he would prefer negotiations – Topky

The militant movement’s statement comes after conflicting reports of night skirmishes. Anti-Tibetan social networks wrote about the gathering of the movement’s fighters, and former Afghan vice president Amrullah Salih said strong resistance resisted. Salih is among several Afghan officials who, after the Taliban offensive and the conquest of Kabul, took refuge in Punjir, the only Afghan province not yet controlled by the Taliban.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on the social network Twitter that the fighters of the movement “are located near the Punjir” and surrounded the area from three sides. “The Islamic Emirate is trying to resolve this issue peacefully,” he added. User accounts on social networks supporting the resistance in Punjir have rejected previous allegations that the resistance has been suppressed. They claimed to have been raided and diverted by Taliban fighters. The claims of both parties could not be independently verified.

Punjir is a remote, largely inaccessible mountain area. This valley is guarded by a narrow gorge, through which entry – or escape – is extremely difficult for foreigners, because they can become the target of local units set up in higher places. Soviet troops in the 1980s and the Taliban did not penetrate this natural defense during past conflicts.

Source: SITA – (AP Photo / Jafar Khan)

In addition to Salih, anti-Tibetan troops are led by Ahmad Masoud, the son of the assassinated commander of the United States-backed Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud. A Masoud resistance spokesman told AFP over the weekend that the group was ready for a “long-term conflict” but would prefer negotiations on a comprehensive government, with decentralization, a system that provides social justice, equality, rights and freedoms, conditional on a peace agreement with the Taliban. for everybody.