Taliban Urges Panjshir Resistance to Surrender... "Failed Despite US and NATO Support"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Afghan armed group Taliban has intensified its offensive on the resistance stronghold of Panjshir and demanded the resistance forces to surrender. As the resistance rejected this, a direct confrontation between the two sides is feared.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 1st (local time), the Taliban is reported to have occupied the Shotul area on the outskirts of the Panjshir Valley, the resistance's stronghold. WSJ reported that dozens of casualties occurred on both sides, but the exact number has not been confirmed. Since the U.S. military withdrawal, the Taliban has reportedly cut off roads and communication networks around Panjshir and surrounded the area with troops armed with heavy weapons, continuing small-scale skirmishes.

According to Afghan local media Tolo News, the Taliban leadership released a message online on the same day stating, "All regions of Afghanistan have found peace, but only the residents of Panjshir are suffering," and urged surrender by saying, "The resistance forces received help from the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but achieved nothing. They should stop resisting and surrender."

However, the Panjshir resistance reportedly refused to surrender. According to Russia's TASS news agency, the resistance issued a statement emphasizing, "Fighting took place in various locations around the entrance to the Panjshir Gorge the previous day and is still ongoing," and "About 40 Taliban soldiers have died, and they have currently withdrawn around the valley."

WSJ also reported that sporadic clashes continued not only in the Panjshir Valley but also in Wardak and Daikundi, areas inhabited by the Shiite Hazara minority. A spokesperson for the resistance forces in Wardak told WSJ in an interview, "A highly unstable situation on the brink of explosion continues," and added, "The Taliban wants surrender, but it cannot be accepted."

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