While talks between the Taliban and local forces in Panjshir have so far been unsuccessful, the Taliban have announced the deployment of more than 3,000 troops to the province.
According to the regional office of Tasnim news agency, media close to the Taliban reported that more than 3,000 Taliban forces had left for Panjshir after the group failed to negotiate with local commanders in Panjshir for the peaceful transfer of the province.
The Taliban also confirmed on its Arabic Twitter account that hundreds of members of the group had been sent to capture Panjshir.
It is worth mentioning that Panjshir has not been captured by the Taliban yet and “Ahmad Massoud”, the son of “Ahmad Shah Massoud”, the national hero of Afghanistan, is working there to unite local forces against the Taliban.
In a recent interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Massoud said he wanted to make peace with the Taliban and form a coalition government, but did not accept the use of force or the use of weapons.
Former Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh also tweeted that the Taliban had reached the gates of Panjshir, but according to local reports, no clashes had taken place.
Panjshir is the only province not controlled by the Taliban, but is under siege by the group, and any attempt at new conflict in Afghanistan increases the country’s fear of civil war.
Earlier, Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, had announced that he was forming a resistance front against the Taliban in Panjshir.
However, on Friday, August 20, Karzai’s vice president, Mohammad Younis Qanuni, stated that Ahmad Massoud was not looking for war, but for a solution to establish peace and a comprehensive national government.
