Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/l1mfmkpxj8ugniy/VRP59609.mp4?dl=0
Taliban soldiers have closed in on Panjshir province, where a resistance movement continues to hold out against the Islamist militants’ rule.
Footage shows the jihadi troops stationed in the mountain valley on September 1, hunkering down for skirmishes against armed anti-Taliban forces.
At least seven Taliban fighters were killed Monday August 30 in a clash with the National Resistance Front (NRF), led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the famed mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who also opposed the Taliban decades ago.
The Panjshir resistance is an alliance comprised of local militia and former Afghan security forces.
Former Afghan defence minister and current NRF member Bismillah Mohammadi said: ‘The Taliban attacked Panjshir, but were defeated with 7 dead and several wounded. They retreated with heavy casualties.
Meanwhile, senior Taliban official Amir Khan Motaqi called for a ceasefire, saying Afghanistan is ‘home for all Afghans.’
‘We tried our best to solve the Panjshir problem with talks and negotiations, but unfortunately all in vain.
‘We still want to prevent war and find a political solution.’