MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Afghanistan’s resistance forces are determined to elicit a peaceful settlement, yet they are prepared for the Taliban (banned in Russia) to unleash war, Fahim Dashti, spokesman for the National Resistance Forces in Afghanistan’s northern province of Panjshir, said on Thursday.
"The resistance forces were ready for such circumstances. We are committed to a peaceful settlement, but the Taliban unleashed a war, and the war continues on several fronts," Dashti noted.
The spokesman for the resistance movement mentioned that in the last two days, clashes had been taking place on two fronts: in the Andarab valley in Baghlan province, next to Panjshir, and on the Khawak mountain pass, leading from Panjshir to Baghlan, in northern Afghanistan.
According to Dashti, "the Taliban fighters were defeated in these areas, some 350 people were killed, over 280 were injured, while as many as 35 were captured." The spokesman did not report on casualties suffered by the resistance forces.
"The resistance movement has demonstrated the ability to defend its positions. But this is going to be not only the defense of Panjshir, later the war will spread to other areas," Dashti warned.
The spokesman also told TASS that the Taliban was not able to capture a single outpost.
Clashes in Panjshir
On Thursday, the Qatari Al Jazeera TV channel, citing sources in the Taliban movement, reported that the Taliban had decided to launch a military operation against resistance forces in Panjshir. According to the channel, the Taliban made the decision to take military action after the failure of negotiations with the resistance movement’s leaders, in particular with Ahmad Massoud. The radicals also called the conditions put forward by the Panjshiris "illogical."
Earlier, Dashti noted that the recalcitrant region was against the fact that the government had "symbolic representatives of different ethnic groups" and wants to establish truly inclusive government bodies.
The Taliban have had Panjshir under siege for more than a week, and in the past few days, some clashes on the region’s outskirts were reported. The radicals are trying to capture the outposts of the resistance.
On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. The northern province of Panjshir is the only pocket of resistance to the Taliban. It is led by Ahmad Massoud, a son of Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953-2001). Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who has claimed the office of acting president of Afghanistan, is calling on the Afghan public to support Massoud.