Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gxp9z92hjedy24h/VRP63080.mp4?dl=0
Four men believed to be from Panjshir province, a holdout for anti-Taliban resistance fighters, were reportedly abducted by Taliban soldiers in Kabul on Monday.
Harrowing footage shows the men being forced into the trunks of two vehicles in Salang Wat, a Tajik-populated area of Kabul, on September 13. It is unknown where the men were taken or if they are still alive.
The Panjshir Valley was formerly the only Afghan province not under Taliban control after the Taliban took over the country on August 15. Taliban troops finally swept into the region on September 7, following weeks of clashes with the National Resistance Front (NRF) composed of armed militia and former Afghan security forces.
Sporadic skirmishes have continued in pockets of Panjshir as the Taliban mount a war of attrition against NRF members still in the valley, stifling food supplies and telecommunications, and reportedly carrying out summary executions of civilians.
Despite promises of amnesty and restraint, at least 20 people have reportedly been killed by Taliban troops in the region, including a local shopkeeper accused of selling sim cards to resistance fighters, a report on BBC news said.
Meanwhile, NRF leader Ahmad Massoud, who was last reported still in Afghanistan, has vowed to sustain resistance efforts, enjoining Afghans to stand up against Taliban rule.
He said: ‘Dear compatriots, I call you wherever you are, whether inside or outside [Afghanistan], to start a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and pride of our homeland. Whoever can stand in any way and raise their voice for freedom, we are by your side.’