Taliban claimed Victory in Panjshir Valley and killing of Anti-American Group

Listen to this article

On Monday, the Taliban claimed that they have taken full control of Afghanistan. The group said its forces had seized the Panjshir Valley. It was the last province in the country where resistance forces held ground and put up a fight against the Islamic extremists’ takeover. There were competing claims about the situation in Panjshir, north of the capital Kabul, with some members of the resistance refusing to give up. But images from the rugged mountain region suggested the fight was over and the Taliban had won. It was clear that the Taliban was cementing its control over the country despite the competing claims. The latest apparent victory of the Taliban came following growing concern over the fate of Americans and Afghans who have been unable to leave.

The relatively small force of the National Resistance Front, led by Commander Ahmad Massoud had held out against the Taliban for weeks in the rugged mountains of the Panjshir Valley. It wasn’t clear whether Massoud was still in the province, or even in Afghanistan. But in an audio message recorded on Monday, he called on all Afghans inside and outside their country to start a national uprising for the dignity, freedom, and prosperity of our country. After surrounding the region where Massoud and his ally, former Afghan 1st Vice President Amrullah Saleh, were entrenched, the Taliban intensified its battle over the weekend. By Monday, the group had put its flag in an apparent sign of victory. CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata interviewed Massoud in May, before the Taliban takeover. He vowed that he and his forces would fight the Taliban to the death.

Masoud said, “They are ready. If the situation goes towards a war, we will announce it, and we will be ready. I’ll fight for it, and I’m ready to give my life for it”. Neither Massoud nor Saleh had posted anything on their social media channels as of Monday afternoon about the intense fighting over the weekend. Massoud’s audio message, distributed via media outlets. It was the only indication that they were hoping to keep the fight against the Taliban going. As the Taliban solidified its control, senior Republican Foreign Affairs Committee member, Rep. Michael McCaul alleged the group of holding the Americans hostage. McCaul said, “Six airplanes with American citizens on them, as I speak, also with these interpreters, and the Taliban is holding them, hostage, for demands right now”.