Afghan resistance fighters in Panjshir surrounded by Taliban

Under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, several members of local militias and remnants of army and special forces units have been holding out against the Taliban

A vehicle with Taliban flag near the runway at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021.(Jim Huylebroek/The New York Times)

Reuters   |   New York   |   02.09.21: The Taliban has surrounded the only remaining province resisting its rule, a senior leader said on Wednesday, calling on rebels to negotiate a settlement with the group.

Since the fall of Kabul on August 15, mountainous Panjshir has been the only province to hold out against the Islamist group, although there has also been fighting in neighbouring Baghlan province between Taliban and local militia forces.

Under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of a former Mujahideen commander, several thousand members of local militias and remnants of army and special forces units have been holding out against the Taliban.

In a recorded speech addressed to Afghans in Panjshir, senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi called on the rebels to put down their weapons. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is home for all Afghans,” he said.

The Taliban have declared an amnesty for all Afghans who worked with foreign forces during the past two decades but crowds fearing reprisals have continued to flock to the borders in an attempt to flee the country.

Motaqi said the Taliban had made many efforts to negotiate with leaders of the opposition forces in Panjshir, “but unfortunately, unfortunately, without any result”.  

Taliban forces are making preparations around the four sides of the Panjshir valley.