[Global Issue+] 'Panjshir' Gorge Emerging as a Variable in the Afghan Civil War

Taliban "Wants to Talk with Panjshir Resistance"
Taliban Losing Legitimacy, Still Unstable Governance

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] As the Afghan armed faction Taliban brutally suppresses residents and reveals its true nature, it is reported that anti-Taliban forces across Afghanistan are also gathering for a counterattack. Their gathering place is the Panshir Gorge, a natural fortress known for never having been captured even during the war with the former Soviet Union. Since the first Taliban regime in 1996, the Northern Alliance warlords who have fought against the Taliban have begun to regroup and reorganize, signaling a new phase in the Afghan civil war.

According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 21st (local time), the Taliban delegation visited the Russian Embassy in Kabul and reportedly conveyed their intention to the Russian side, saying, "We would like to propose dialogue to seek a peaceful solution with the resistance forces in Panshir." They requested Russia to mediate talks with the anti-Taliban forces in Panshir.

Currently, the Taliban is known to have control over most parts of Afghanistan, but the Panshir province and Parwan province, located about 125 km from the capital Kabul in a gorge area, have not been captured. This area is known as the gathering place of anti-Taliban forces, where Amrullah Saleh, the first Vice President of Afghanistan, has established a provisional government. It is also reported that anti-Taliban protests across Afghanistan are being led by the provisional government. Having raised the banner of resistance against the Taliban for less than a week, they have already gathered more than 10,000 troops, causing significant concern for the Taliban.

The Northern Alliance Gathering at the Natural Fortress Panshir

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The name Panshir means "Five Lions" in Persian. It has been known as a natural fortress since ancient times, a land where many victories were won and heroes emerged. It is famous as the place where General Ahmad Shah Massoud, a war hero who led Afghan forces during the 1979 war against the Soviet Union, repelled Soviet troops.

According to the BBC, General Massoud led the Northern Alliance forces to resist the Taliban’s tyranny during their first regime from 1996 to 2001. He was assassinated by an Al-Qaeda agent allegedly ordered by the Taliban. Two months after his assassination, the US-Taliban war in Afghanistan began.

Since then, his son Ahmad Massoud Junior has been leading the Northern Alliance. It is reported that he has joined the provisional government in Panshir, and former Northern Alliance warlords and ex-Afghan government soldiers are gathering there one after another. Unlike the Afghan government forces who fled without properly fighting the Taliban, these fighters are known to have high morale and excellent skills, causing the Taliban to be very anxious.

Threatening with Terror Politics... Yet the Taliban Remains Unstable

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The reason the Taliban tries to avoid fighting the Panshir resistance forces is that their strength is by no means weak. The Taliban currently has about 75,000 core combatants, and after taking control of Afghanistan in just 11 days, their forces are scattered everywhere. In this situation, if the resistance forces of the Panshir provisional government gather in large numbers and attack Kabul, it is evaluated that victory would be difficult to guarantee.

Another factor is that the Panshir provisional government has legitimacy, so there is a possibility of receiving support or aid from the international community. Currently, no country except China has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan government. Officials who fled to various places are also gathering in Panshir, and if the government system functions again, it is expected that the Taliban’s control will be significantly weakened.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.