According to the British "Guardian" website reported on August 18, when former Afghan President Ghani fled Afghanistan and the Taliban occupied Kabul in one day without bloodshed, the country's long civil war seemed to be over. But hours later, a group of people declared otherwise, vowing to fight back from the last corner of the country that was not yet controlled by the Taliban.
For decades, the Panjshir Valley has been home to resistance operations, first against the Soviets in the 1980s and then against the Taliban in the 1990s. The area is still littered with rusty tanks left over from decades of fighting.
Afghan Vice President Amrula Saleh, who was born there and trained in combat, said Panjahir would return to that role. Earlier, he declared himself a "caretaker" president under the Constitution. But the Taliban actually seem to have set the Constitution aside.
The past 20 years of history is a powerful reminder that the Taliban should not think they are safe just because they now control much of the area.
On August 18, local time, in Bazarak, Panjshir province, Afghanistan, an armed man holding a weapon walked on a road in support of Afghan security forces to fight the Taliban. (People's Vision)
After the U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban itself was nearly destroyed. After that, they carried out reforms and gradually regained power through struggle. Part of the Taliban's strength is that its rules and precepts are endorsed by some in Afghanistan, although many oppose it.
Any long-term resistance movement will use the same drive. There are many people in Afghanistan who may be forced to live under the rule of the Taliban, but they will never accept it.
Over the past few days, protests have been held by women in Kabul and by eastern Afghanistan to defend the flag of the overthrown Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's ambassador to Tajikistan, Zahir Agbar, said Panjhir would serve as a base for those who wanted to continue fighting. "Panjhir is adamantly resistant to anyone who wants to enslave the populace," he said. Videos posted on social media showed potential opposition figures gathering in the only province now controlled by Taliban rivals. The video shows saleh also appearing alongside defence minister Bismila Muhammadi and Ahmed Masood, the son of assassinated Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah Masood.
Located on the edge of the Himalayas, Panjhir's geographical location makes it a natural fortress. At the moment, the Taliban have not attacked the site – although they have seized large quantities of weapons, ammunition, vehicles and other military materiel across Afghanistan.
That may be because they focused on building a new government after the fall of the previous government. The collapse of the former government was so rapid that even the Taliban were surprised.
After leading the insurgency for 20 years, at least some Taliban have acknowledged that the shift to governing the country will be a challenge. The Taliban may also recognize that an inclusive government can help them gain greater legitimacy and achieve a situation closer to peace.
The Taliban have a permanent base along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan for their leaders to direct operations and rest among their militants. Afghanistan's other neighbors are unlikely to be candidates for support of the anti-Taliban movement, at least for now.
Panjhir is a fortress but also isolated by its defensive barriers, which will also make the provision of supplies a challenge. Washington has made it clear that it has almost withdrawn from Afghanistan. Saleh and his allies may have a hard time finding important foreign backers.
A little more news
The media released a recording of the speech of the first vice president of Afghanistan Saleh said that the struggle against the Taliban will continue
According to Indian media reports on the 18th, Afghanistan's first vice president Saleh released an audio, in which he once again said that he would not surrender to the Taliban.
In this audio, Saleh once again stresses that in the absence of the president, he became the interim president of Afghanistan and will continue to fight the Taliban.
First Vice-President saleh of Afghanistan said: I would like to be clear that there are many reasons for the current situation in Afghanistan. I am not prepared to endure the humiliation of being like a foreign army, I am going to stand up for my country, and the battle is not over yet.
Saleh said his political goal is to allow the Afghan people to express their views on the nature and type of country, and they are willing to negotiate on the issue. But swearing allegiance or surrender to the Taliban will not happen.
On the 18th, the US media "Washington Post" published an article by Ahmed Masood, the son of the late Famous Afghan Military Leader Ahmed Shah Masood and the leader of the Afghan Resistance Forces, calling on Western countries to provide weapons assistance to the resistance forces in Panjshir Province.
Ahmed Massoud said that Afghan government soldiers and members of Afghan special forces, dissatisfied with the commander's surrender, went to Panjahir with weapons and equipment to join the resistance. At present, the Taliban have not yet announced control of Panjshir province, after news that anti-Taliban forces such as Saleh and the resistance forces led by Ahmed Massoud have assembled in Panjhir to prepare for the establishment of a resistance front.
However, some experts have analyzed that after the Taliban peacefully seized power, it may be difficult for Saleh and the son of Massoud to raise the "anti-Tajik banner". The Northern Alliance no longer has the same united fighting morale as it did two decades ago, and the Taliban have begun to take different routes, announcing "amnesty" policies that reduce resistance to resistance. After the Taliban took over state power, Panjahir was more of an isolated island, surrounded by the Taliban. The Taliban may try to lure them into government, and pressure from Afghanistan's neighbors may eventually force The Panjhir forces to make concessions.
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