the resistance is fighting back against the army Taliban Issuing a defiance message today, claiming that talks on his surrender were being held, it was ‘propaganda’.
Ex-Afghan soldiers – many trained by Western soldiers – have joined forces with local militias from a base in the Panjshir Valley, northeast of Kabul, and vowed yesterday that they would perform ‘sacrifice and martyrdom’ to defeat the rebels. are ready for.
The group is fighting under the banner of The National Resistance Front. Afghanistan [NRF] And it is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmed Masood.
Sandhurst-trained 32-year-old Ahmed Masood, who also studied at King’s College, LondonNicknamed ‘Lion Ka Vais’ or ‘Lion Cub’ after his father, a renowned Mujahideen commander, the area he ruled and defended.
The Taliban claimed on Monday that they had captured three districts north of the capital of Kabul and a day earlier they had besieged Panjshir, the last province outside their control.
They said they were in talks with rival forces to secure their surrender.
However, Ali Maisam Nazari, the head of foreign relations for the NLF, rubbished the claim on Twitter, saying that ‘no one is going to surrender Panjshir and @AhmedMasood01 will defend the Valley.’
His statement comes after Masood wrote in the Washington Post last week: ‘No matter what happens, my Mujahideen fighters and I will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan independence.’
Resistance forces battling back against the Taliban today issued a message of defiance, claiming their surrender was being negotiated was “propaganda”.
Ex-Afghan soldiers – trained by many Western soldiers – joined forces with local militias from a base in the Panjshir Valley, northeast of Kabul, and vowed yesterday to make ‘sacrifice and martyrdom’ to defeat the rebels. are ready.
On Sunday, armed guerrilla fighters – who reportedly killed 30 enemy fighters and captured a dozen others – drove the Taliban out of Pul-e-Hesar, Dehe-Salah and Bano districts.
As the Taliban vowed to intensify their campaign against the resistance, fighters were around Panjshir the previous night, the last remaining Afghan stronghold, in preparation for the attack should proposed peace talks fail.
Yesterday spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the Mail that the rebels were “ready to fight” if talks fail. “The enemy is under siege at Panjshir,” he said.
‘ At the same time talks are going on. If these fail then we have enough forces and [are] ready to fight. I hope this problem will be resolved soon.
On the earlier skirmishes for control of the areas of Baghlan, he said: ‘No problem, it has been cleared, our army has full control over them.
The mountainous Panjshir Valley, known for its natural defenses, has never been under Taliban control, partly thanks to Masood’s father.
A possible demonstration outside Kabul’s international airport as a gunfight killed an Afghan soldier early Monday highlights the dangers of evacuation efforts.
![The group is fighting under the banner of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. [NRF] And it is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmed Masood (pictured). The Sandhurst-trained 32-year-old Ahmed Masood, who also studied at King's College, London, is nicknamed 'the heir of the lion' or 'the lion cub' after his father, a well-known mujahideen commander who was known to be the leader of the region. After that it was called 'Lion of Panjshir'. he ruled and defended](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/08/24/00/47019273-9920571-image-m-163_1629760386452.jpg)
The group is fighting under the banner of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. [NRF] And it is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmed Masood (pictured). The Sandhurst-trained 32-year-old Ahmed Masood, who also studied at King’s College, London, is nicknamed the ‘Lion Ka Heir’ or ‘Lion Cub’ after his father, a famous Mujahideen commander in the area. Known as the ‘Lion of Panjshir’. he ruled and defended
Earlier this month the Taliban opened fire to consolidate their position and eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their power acquisition.
The Taliban warned yesterday that any attempt by US troops to delay their withdrawal to give people more time to flee would “prove a backlash.”
The Taliban said they had seized three districts north of the capital a day earlier by opponents and besieged Panjshir, the last province outside their control.
Despite 20 years of Western training and aid, Afghanistan’s security forces collapsed in the face of Taliban advances.
Since then, tens of thousands of Afghans have tried to flee the country, fearing the return of the brutal regime the Taliban had last occupied Afghanistan.
This caused panic at the airport in Kabul, the main exit from the country.
US President Joe Biden has not ruled out extending the evacuation beyond August 31, which he had set out to complete the withdrawal of US forces. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to pressure Biden into an extension.
But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in an interview with Sky News that August 31 is a ‘red line’ and that expanding the US presence would ‘provoke a backlash’.
Gunfire opened early Monday near an entrance to the airport, where at least seven Afghans were killed in a stampede that killed thousands a day earlier.
People flee their homes and travel on the Kandahar-Kabul highway, Afghanistan
US military spokesman Navy Captain William Urban said an unidentified assailant opened fire on Afghan security forces at the airport’s north gate, prompting retaliation by Afghan, US and Allied troops.
He said that one Afghan soldier was killed and several Afghans were injured.
An Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it treated six patients from the airport who had been shot.
There was no comment from the Taliban, which in recent days fired warning shots and lobbed sticks to control thousands of crowds outside the airport.
The tragic scenes around the airport have shook the world. Afghans stormed the tarmac last week and some clung to US military transport aircraft as they took off, killing them later.
In addition to the seven killed on Sunday, at least seven people died that day.
The Taliban accused the US military of a chaotic evacuation and said there was no need for any Afghan to flee.
He has vowed to bring peace and security after decades of war and said he would not take revenge on those who worked with the US, NATO and the top Afghan government.
Addressing a conference of Muslim clerics, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged them to back down against Western “propaganda” about the Taliban and said the US was weakening their regime by sending planes and harboring Afghans .
But another Taliban official, Mohammad Khalid, addressed the same gathering, saying, “History and Afghans will not forgive those who were trained in America and Europe and returned to kill their own people.”
He said foreign countries should not interfere in education, asking the clerics if they would ‘tolerate a young girl sitting next to a boy in school.’
He also praised the role of suicide bombers in forcing the US to withdraw.
The divergent messages raised doubts as to whether the Taliban are fully united behind the more liberal image their leadership is projecting.
On Sunday, armed guerrilla fighters – who reportedly killed 30 enemy fighters and captured a dozen others – drove the Taliban out of Pul-e-Hesar, Dehe-Salah and Bano districts.
In recent days, there have also been reports of the Taliban hunting their former enemies.
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer told Bild newspaper that the main obstacle to evacuating people was the crowds outside the airport.
Asked about Taliban assurances of safe access to the airport, she said: ‘As of now, I can say that what we need is being given; The danger is greater from these uncontrollable crowds of people.’
As the airlift continues, the US government asked US commercial carriers for 18 aircraft to assist them in transporting Afghan refugees to their final destinations after their initial evacuation.
Since August 14, the US has facilitated the evacuation or evacuation of approximately 37,000 people on military and coalition flights.
Masood (pictured center) wrote in the Washington Post last week: ‘No matter what, my Mujahideen fighters and I will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan independence.’
Those efforts are accelerating: In the 24 hours that ended early Monday, US military flights evacuated nearly 10,400 people, one official said.
Thousands of people – Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted the war effort – are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed down by security issues and US bureaucratic hurdles.
According to senior military officials in Afghanistan, US special operations forces evacuated 16 more American civilians from outside the airport early Monday.
US officials said on condition of anonymity that rescue missions that go beyond airport walls require the approval of a four-star officer and are handled on a case-by-case basis as they discuss ongoing military operations. were not authorized. publically.
Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gerald Dormanin ordered five people evacuated from Afghanistan to be kept under surveillance in France for possible links with the Taliban.
‘France is human, but it is also cautious,’ the minister tweeted on Monday, with a story from a French news agency quoting him about his suspicions.
Amid the evacuation, there are also concerns that a local ally of the Islamic State group could target crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or missiles at US planes.
Military aircraft are carrying out corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares on takeoff – both measures used to evade missile attacks.
The Taliban and IS have different ideologies and have fought in recent years, but one concern about a Taliban takeover is that they may again harbor extremist groups.
The Taliban sheltered al-Qaeda while it carried out the 9/11 attacks that led to the 2001 US invasion.
The Taliban now says it will not allow Afghanistan to become a base for attacks on other countries.
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