'We Do Not Accept Captivity': Commander of Panjshir Resistance Force Says Ready For War or Peace
09:51 GMT 25.08.2021 (Updated: 18:01 GMT 08.12.2022)
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People in Afghanistan's Panjshir region are up in arms against the Taliban* which has taken control of the war-torn country following the US troop withdrawal. The religious militant rulers have reportedly cut off fuel and food supplies to the province, despite ongoing peace negotiations with the leaders of the resisting force.
The Commander of the Popular Resistance Front in Afghanistan's Panjshir Province has asserted that they are "ready to meet the Taliban from any gate - for war or peace".
In an interview with India Today news channel, Commander Ameer Akmal said, "Most of those who have joined the Popular Resistance Front are young people, soldiers and former jihadi commanders who do not accept captivity and want a comprehensive and acceptable system for all. We have all the facilities for war and the military."
"We sacrifice our lives, but we do not sacrifice our land and our honour," #AhmadMassoud #panjshirResistance #PanjshirValley #Afghanishtan pic.twitter.com/IoQqNsQjzz
— Panjshir_Province (@PanjshirProvin1) August 24, 2021
Talking to Sputnik on Wednesday, an Afghani student claiming to be from Panjshir shared that people in their region fight for the ideology of popular cultural figure Ahmed Shah Massoud, a Northern Alliance commander remembered for his resistance against the Taliban between 1996 and 2001.
"Nobody has ever been able to capture Panjshir, neither the US nor the Soviet Union or the Taliban. It is because of the people there who follow Massoud and reject captivity," said Farhad Ali, the son of a former Afghan Army officer, who claims to be studying in India.
"All the army officers who were genuinely against Taliban have joined the groups being raised to fight the Taliban," shared Ali, whose father is presently a part of the resistance movement in Panjshir.
We are strong and United. #PANJSHIR #Resistance pic.twitter.com/AiMSBc5PaQ
— Panjshir_Province (@PanjshirProvin1) August 25, 2021
Reports indicate that about 9,000 fighters have joined the resistance movement in Panjshir, including Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president of Afghanistan.
After the country's president, Ashraf Ghani, fled the country on 15 August, Saleh declared himself the new president, while citing the country's Constitution.
Ongoing reports note clashes between the Taliban and the fighters of the resistance movement on 22 August in Andarab valley, near Panjshir.
Talibs have massed forces near the entrance of Panjshir a day after they got trapped in ambush zones of neighboring Andarab valley & hardly went out in one piece. Meanwhile Salang highway is closed by the forces of the Resistance. "There are terrains to be avoided". See you.
— Amrullah Saleh (@AmrullahSaleh2) August 22, 2021
The Taliban, however, has maintained that no efforts have been made to take on the resistance movement.
* The Taliban is a terrorist organisation outlawed in Russia and many other countries