Asia

Home page

Asia

Panjshir resistance in Afghanistan claims 'Al-Qaeda joined Taliban'

02 September 2021 15:50 (UTC +04:00)

Forces from the resistance in the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan have claimed that al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban, APA reports citing Sputnik.

The statement, published on Twitter, claims the two organisations joined forces in order to fight the resistance in the Panjshir Valley.

The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan is holed up in the Panjshir Valley not far from Kabul, where it is currently defending against Taliban forces, who successfully conquered the rest of the country in the wake of the NATO withdrawal. The front rejects the Taliban's claims for power unless it agrees to form a truly inclusive government that will represent the interests of all groups and nationalities residing in the country. The Taliban previously pledged to form an inclusive government, but is yet to unveil it.

After unsuccessful negotiations with the Panjshir resistance, the Taliban launched an offensive against the valley which enjoys natural protection from the mountainous landscape. The insurgent group reported killing 34 members of the resistance and capturing 11 checkpoints. The National Resistance Front, in turn, claimed to have killed 350 Taliban fighters overnight between 1-2 September.