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Taliban Say “Hundreds” Headed To Anti-Taliban Holdout, Panjshir Valley

Since Taliban seized Afghanistan, flashes of resistance have begun to emerge with some ex-government troops gathering in Panjshir valley.

‘Hundreds’ of Taliban fighters are heading to the Panjshir Valley, said the Taliban on Sunday. Panjshir is one of the few parts of Afghanistan not yet controlled by the group.

Since Taliban seized Afghanistan, flashes of resistance have begun to emerge with some ex-government troops gathering in Panjshir valley, north of Kabul, also known as an anti-Taliban bastion.

“Hundreds of Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are heading towards the state of Panjshir to control it, after local state officials refused to hand it over peacefully,” the Taliban wrote on its Arabic Twitter account.

Also read: Anti-Taliban Resistance Gains Momentum In Panjshir Valley

According to a spokesman for anti-Taliban forces, after the Taliban took control over the country, thousands of people have made their way to Panjshir.

In Panjshir, Ahmad Massoud, the son of legendary mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Al-Qaeda two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks, has sought to assemble a force of around 9,000 people to counter the terrorists, the spokesman, Ali Maisam Nazary, told AFP.

Nazary also said that the group wants to push for a new system of government, but is prepared to fight if needed.

Pictures taken by AFP during training exercises show dozens of recruits performing fitness routines, and some armoured humvees driving across the valley.

Massoud on Sunday told Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya broadcaster that, “The Taliban will not last long if it continues on this path. We are ready to defend Afghanistan and we warn of a bloodshed.”

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