“Never give up”: Fierce fighting in the Panjshir Valley

“Never give up”: Fierce fighting in the Panjshir Valley

A spokesman for the resistance movement said on Friday that the troops under the Taliban opponent Ahmed Massoud were involved in “heavy” fighting with the Taliban. “We will never give up the fight for God, freedom and justice,” said Massud on his Facebook page on Saturday. Meanwhile, clashes broke out at a demonstration for women’s rights in Kabul.

At least one woman was injured, local journalists reported on Saturday. They shared a video of a woman with blood running off her head. According to videos from local TV stations and activists, the demonstration resulted in chaotic scenes. Around two dozen women had initially demonstrated peacefully near the presidential palace, as can be seen in pictures shared on social media. They held signs in their hands that said, for example, “We are not the women of 20 years ago” or “Equality – Justice – Democracy!”. Videos can then be seen of the women being surrounded by 50 or more Taliban security forces and screaming duels with the Taliban. Several of them cough.

During the Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001, women in Afghanistan were no longer allowed to work and were only allowed to leave the house when accompanied by a male family member. She was forbidden to speak or laugh out loud in public. Girls were also excluded from school. Since the Islamists came back to power, many women fear that they will reintroduce similar rules for them.

"Afghanistan died as a homeland"

“Heavy losses” on both sides

For five days now, there has been fighting between the Taliban and fighters from the National Resistance Front around Panjshir, the only province in the country that the Taliban do not yet control. Originally, both sides had said that they wanted to resolve the open question of power through negotiations. A spokesman for the National Resistance Front wrote on Twitter this week that the Taliban had offered Massoud a post in the future government and the protection of his property. However, he refused and justified this with the fact that he was not pursuing any personal interests. So far there have been no statements from the Taliban.

The fighting began on Tuesday with Taliban attacks on checkpoints at the entrance to the Panjshir Valley, according to a spokesman for the resistance front. The fighting is likely to have intensified recently. Both sides stated that they inflicted heavy losses on the other side. On Saturday night, Taliban supporters spread rumors on Twitter that Panjshir had fallen and the resistance leadership had fled.

The previous Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who is said to be in Panjshir himself, immediately denied this. The situation is difficult, but “we have defended our country,” he said in a video message shared by local TV station ToloNews on Twitter. Massoud also wrote on Facebook that the Panjshir Valley “has remained steadfast so far”.

Favorable geographic location

Panjshir could not be conquered by the Taliban during their first rule between 1996 and 2001. In addition to the bitter resistance of the Northern Alliance, this was also due to the geographical location – the entrance to the valley is narrow and easy to defend.

Meanwhile, the UN warns of a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls an international donor conference in Geneva on September 13th. “The international community must stand together and support the Afghan people,” wrote Guterres on Twitter. A rapid increase in aid funds should be agreed at a high level in Geneva. After the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan is isolated and the economy is on the verge of collapse. The country had already grappled with the consequences of a severe drought. According to aid organizations, millions of Afghans could be threatened with hunger.

The US had pumped billions in aid into the country since the radical Islamists were overthrown in 2001. The Taliban returned to power in mid-August. Almost three weeks later, an official government is still pending. On Friday, Taliban circles announced that the head of the Taliban Politburo, Mullah Baradar, would head a new government in Kabul.

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