Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
September 6, 2021
The Taliban says it has taken complete control of the Panjshir Valley, the last province in Afghanistan where the group faced resistance.
It was not immediately possible to get independent confirmation of events in Panjshir, where the Taliban has cut off phone, Internet, and electricity lines.
The Taliban seized control of most of Afghanistan three weeks ago, taking power in Kabul on August 15 following the collapse of the Western-backed government.
There has since been heavy fighting in Panjshir Valley north of the capital, with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan resisting Taliban rule.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement on September 6 saying Panjshir was now under the control of the Taliban fighters.
“With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war,” Mujahid said.
Resistance Front spokesman Ali Maisam denied the allegation as “not true.”
“The Taliban haven’t captured Panjshir, I am rejecting Taliban claims,” he told the BBC.
Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the Panjshir provincial governor’s compound in Bazarak.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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