According to Sputnik News, some 600 Taliban members were killed on Saturday in Afghanistan's northeastern Panjshir province, the country's heartland of resistance against the rebel group.
On Saturday, the official spokesperson for the National Resistance Front, Fahim Dashti, stated that several Taliban members had been detained or surrendered. He went on to say that the Taliban's supplies from neighboring provinces had been cut off and that the Panjshir resistance forces had captured their equipment.
Panjshir is one of the few places in Afghanistan that is still free of Taliban rule. On August 15, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, capturing the presidential palace in Kabul and bringing an end to a 10-day insurgent offensive that had ripped across the country. As foreign soldiers prepared to leave Afghanistan by the end of August, the organization made rapid progress and conquered important Afghan cities.
According to Al Jazeera, a Taliban insider indicated that landmines laid on the route to the province capital of Bazark hampered the Taliban's assault in Panjshir. While continuing their advance, the militants said they were removing the mines.
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said that the Panjshir districts of Khinj and Unabah had been taken. He went on to say that Taliban fighters were now pushing towards the Panjshir province's center.
According to Reuters, Afghanistan's National Resistance Front head Ahmad Massoud claimed that his forces have cornered thousands of Taliban insurgents in the Khawak pass northwest of Panjshir valley. He stated that many insurgent militants were forced to abandon their trucks and equipment in the Dashte Rewak area.
Panjshir, according to Massoud, "continues to stand strong." He also complimented the women's rights march in the western Afghan city of Heart, saying that "they had no fear of threats."
According to Al Jazeera, Afghanistan's special forces, Army units, and indigenous fighters make up the National Resistance Front, also known as the Panjshir resistance. They have an armory and are located in a small ravine 80 kilometers from Kabul. Massoud, the force's commander, is the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, a notable Afghan leader who fought Soviet authority in the 1980s.
Massoud stated on August 22 that he intended to talk to the Taliban, but that his men were prepared to battle them. He had stated, "We want to make the Taliban realize that negotiation is the only way forward."
According to reports, 17 Taliban members were killed in celebratory gunfire
According to Reuters, at least 17 people were killed in celebratory gunfire late Thursday after the Taliban claimed control of Panjshir. The resistance movement continues to deny that the Taliban have taken control of Panjshir.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, slammed the gunfire. On Twitter, he urged Taliban fighters to thank God instead of shooting in the air, saying that bullets could harm civilians.
Despite seizing control of Afghanistan on August 15, the Taliban have yet to form a government to oversee the country. According to Reuters, Taliban insiders predict that the announcement will take place next week. It has, however, already been postponed twice.
The new government is supposed to be led by Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban.
ISI chief in Kabul
Meanwhile, according to Channel 4, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence chief, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, paid an unexpected visit to Kabul on Thursday.
He indicated on Saturday night that it was unclear whether he would meet with Taliban top leadership, but that everything was under control. He stated, "We are working for peace and stability in Afghanistan." “Don't be concerned; everything will be fine.”
