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03-09-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies
PANJSHIR/ KABUL/ IALAMABAD: Fighting between the Taliban fighters and resistance forces has intensified in the northern province of Panjshir, as the Afghan group battles to take control of the country’s last rebel stronghold.
Residents in nearby areas of neighboring Parwan province say it has been four days that their lives have been disrupted by the intensified battles between the Taliban and forces being commanded by Ahmad Massoud, the son of slain commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The Taliban leaders say attempts for a negotiated settlement have failed as the group prepares to announce the formation of a new government weeks after they captured power.
“The fighting has gotten worse and worse with each night,” Asadullah, 52, told media. He and other residents of Jab al-Seraj district of Parwan say the fighting is mainly relegated to the mountains, but that most residents have still fled the area.
Increased fighting, residents say, has forced at least 400 families to flee from the villages along the road that would normally lead to Panjshir’s calm, green valley’s about 125km (78 miles) north of the capital, Kabul.
Smoke could be seen billowing from the distant mountain as the Taliban engaged in a battle to take control of the last of the country’s 34 provinces.
Qatar has expressed hope to see the establishment of “humanitarian corridors” in the next 24 or 48 hours so that aid can enter through Kabul airport and other functioning airports in Afghanistan.
The comments by Qatar’s special envoy to Afghanistan on Friday came as the Taliban is close to forming a government as it faces domestic and international pressure to rule Afghanistan with greater tolerance, especially on women’s rights.
The announcement of a new administration could be made after Friday afternoon prayers, two Taliban sources told the AFP news agency, as the group shift gears to governing the country while also trying to deflect an armed challenge from rebels in the Panjshir Valley region.
While the West has adopted a wait-and-see approach to the Taliban, there were some signs of engagement with the new leaders gathering pace.
The United Nations said it had restarted humanitarian flights to parts of the country, linking the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, with Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have been internally displaced due to the recent violence. As many as half a million others are also estimated to become refugees in neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Iran.
The country’s main airport in Kabul remains closed but is expected to reopen in days with the help of technical experts from Qatar.
