Taliban fighters head to capture Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Panjshir Valley: Reports

Taliban claimed that hundreds of their fighters are heading to the Panjshir Valley, reported Al Jazeera. Panjshir Valley is known as the area of Ahmed Shah Massoud’s Northern Alliance and is one of the few parts of the country not yet controlled by the newly-emerged Taliban setup. However, there has been much resistance going on between the groups since the Taliban’s takeover.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Taliban leader Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, said, “If we can defeat superpowers, surely we can provide safety to the Afghan people.” He is also a veteran of the Afghan-Soviet war.

However, Ahmad Massoud, son of the slain hero of the anti-Soviet resistance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, told Reuters by telephone: “We want to make the Taliban realise that the only way forward is through negotiation but his supporters are ready to fight if Taliban forces try to invade the valley.”

Earlier, Massoud was given four hours to give up Panjshir Valley, where Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh is in hiding, as per reports.

Unconfirmed reports say the Taliban have reached the valley.

#Afghanistan : convoy of #Talibans who were gathered in surrounding of #PanjshirValley Attacked by afghan Northern alliance fighters.#NorthernAlliance #AfghanistanCrisis #afghanistanwomen pic.twitter.com/weGa7o1YaQ

— Yogesh Tiwari (@Yogesh21Tiwari) August 23, 2021

#Taliban warning fire at #PanjshirValley #AhmadMassoud #Afghanishtan pic.twitter.com/KZ2CHzWZvd

— Afroz Alam🏴‍☠️ (@AfrozJournalist) August 23, 2021