Amin Alemi
Press TV, Kabul
Taliban have deployed more troops and military hardware to the northeastern Panjshir Valley to take the last territory in Afghanistan from the National Resistance Front headed by Ahmad Massoud, the son of Afghanistan’s National Hero, Ahamd Shah Massoud.
Masoud has called for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban but has said his forces will resist if the narrow and mountainous valley is attacked.
Meanwhile, some top political leaders urge both sides to set aside differences and resume a meaningful negotiation in a bid to avoid dangerous scenarios mainly the loss of civilian lives in Panjshir as well as the spread of armed resistance across the rest of the provinces.
This is while the expansion of war has forced hundreds of local villagers to flee their houses. They call on the international community and especially the UN to convince both sides to resume negotiations.
The possible fall of Panjshir Valley into the hands of the Taliban will bring the entire country under the rule of the Taliban for the first time as they could not capture Panjshir during their first rule in Afghanistan before their collapse in 2001.
The war on Panjshir has turned into a big headache for the Taliban. Moreover, the group’s leaders have, so far, failed to reach an agreement on the formation of a new government in Kabul. The Taliban have postponed the move again, saying they need more time for final consultations among the group’s top leaders.