Strong clashes erupt between Taliban and resistance in Afghan province of Panjshir

(CNN) – Heavy clashes broke out Thursday night around the Panjshir Valley in northern Afghanistan between Taliban fighters and a resistance group, according to a source within the group.

The Panjshir Valley, a mountainous and inaccessible region north of Kabul, is the last great stronghold against the Taliban government and has a long history of resistance to the insurgent group.

Sporadic fighting between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front (NRF) has continued for two weeks. The Taliban have been concentrating forces in and around Panjshir province in recent weeks, saying on Monday they had captured three districts in the valley.

The nightly clashes between the Taliban and the Afghanistan National Resistance Front (NRF) started late Thursday and were very intense, the NRF source said.

“They (the Taliban) are using their last power to get in, but the fighting still continues,” the source added.

Earlier on Thursday, Fahim Dashti, a spokesman for the NRF, said in an audio message that the Taliban lost 40 of their militants in their continued attempts to enter Panjshir. Ali Nazary, another spokesman for the group, said on Thursday that the Taliban had also lost several heavy equipment and weapons that had been destroyed.

CNN has not independently verified the Taliban’s casualties.

Separately, a Taliban source allegedly provided videos of the fighting and the aftermath. CNN could not immediately verify the location or when the videos were filmed.

On Wednesday, a Taliban leader called on the Panjshiris to agree to an amnesty and avoid fighting, but acknowledged that the negotiations so far had not been successful. He said the situation “should be resolved peacefully” but did not directly address the claims for further fighting and casualties.

The Panjshir Valley is the epicenter of Afghan guerrilla warfare and has long resisted foreign occupation, from the British Empire army to Soviet forces and the Taliban.

The rugged and inaccessible landscape plays a role in its defensive success, giving local forces an advantage over potential invaders.

After the USSR, which controlled Kabul and large swaths of the country in the 1980s, withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, various factions of mujahideen, or Islamic holy warriors, split into groups, fighting for control of the country.

The Northern Alliance, now a major component of the NRF, was soon formed. Led by Ahmad Shah Massoud, the group managed to keep the Panjshir Valley free from the influence of the Taliban. Massoud led an offensive against the Taliban until he was assassinated by al Qaeda agents two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The coalition, and the broader NRF, is now led by Massoud’s son, Ahmad Massoud, who has vowed to continue the fight against the Taliban after their near-total seizure of power in Afghanistan.

Massoud and the NRF are now gathering forces against the Taliban in the Panjshir Valley, which include local resistance forces as well as members of the former Afghan army.

People fleeing the Taliban, including former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, have also sought refuge in the valley.

“The Taliban have not changed, and they are still seeking dominance across the country,” Massoud told CNN in an interview on Wednesday. “We are resisting the domination, intolerance and oppression that a political force exerts on the majority of the population that does not support them.”

He added that he and the NRF were still trying to negotiate with the Taliban, but so far that dialogue “has not resulted in anything tangible.” Talks have been held in the city of Charika, the capital of neighboring Parwan province.

“The negotiations have their limits,” he said, citing a prominent Prussian military general. “War is the continuation of politics, and if we face aggression we will be forced to fight and launch resistance to defend our land, our people and our values.”