Fighting continues in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley as anti Taliban resistance vows to hold out

Fighting continues in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley as anti Taliban resistance vows to hold out
The status of the Panjshir Valley in the east of Afghanistan remained unclear Tuesday, following Taliban statements that the militants had taken the last holdout province in the country even as anti-Taliban resistance members vowed to keep fighting.
If the claims of victory are true, it means that the whole of Afghanistan is now under control of the Taliban, who through a series of stunning battlefield gains and Afghan military surrenders through July and early August took over the country of nearly 40 million as the U.S. withdrew its forces.
It would also mean an unprecedented and profoundly symbolic defeat for a province known for its thus far undefeated fighters, who over the last several decades successfully withstood both Taliban and Soviet invasions and who were vital allies to the U.S.
Fighting was continuing as of late Tuesday, according to a member of the National Resistance Front, who spoke to CNBC from Panjshir on condition of anonymity due to security risks. The NRF is a multi-ethnic group of tribes, militias and Afghan military personnel who oppose the Taliban.
While the Taliban have entered the historically crucial valley, there is no evidence that they have taken control of it, says Kamal Alam, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, who was in the Panjshir just last month.
“Taliban have claimed they took Panjshir before without evidence. This time one thing is clear: They have definitely entered Panjshir.