The fighting in Afghanistan's Panjshir province continues, with both the anti-Taliban armed National Resistance Front and the Taliban claiming superiority. According to the Russian News Agency reported on September 4, Fahim Dashti, spokesman for the anti-Taliban force "National Resistance Front" in Afghanistan's Panjshir Province, tweeted on the evening of the 4th that since the morning of the same day, about 600 Taliban soldiers have been killed in many areas of the province, and more than 1,000 Taliban soldiers have been captured or surrendered.
On the same day, however, the Taliban claimed to have occupied five of the seven districts in Panjshir province and had encircled the central part of the province with resistance forces. The Taliban also released a video of the seizure of a large number of heavy weapons of the Resistance Forces on the 4th, including Soviet-made artillery, rocket artillery and US-made 155-mm howitzers. In addition to artillery, the T-62M1 tank, which was publicly unveiled by the National Resistance Front a few days ago, was also captured by the Taliban.
Fáhim Dashti, spokesman of the National Resistance Front, declared a "great victory"
The Taliban announce the seizure of a large number of old Soviet-made artillery (top) and captured T-62M1 tanks (bottom) Image source: social media
According to the Afghan Dawn (TOLO) TV station reported earlier on the 4th, the conflict between the Afghan Taliban and the "National Resistance Front" in Panjahir Province has escalated. FNF spokesman Fahim Dashti said thousands of Taliban personnel were currently trapped in the Paliyan area. He also said fierce clashes in the area were continuing and that the Hawak Passage, one of the main passages in and out of Panjshir, had been cut off.
But Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said on Sept. 4 that Taliban forces had taken control of five of the province's seven districts and were moving toward the provincial capital.
The Taliban also displayed a video of a large number of captured equipment on September 4. Among them, the Taliban occupied a number of "National Resistance Front" weapons cemeteries, captured a large number of abandoned Soviet and American artillery, including the World War II US Military M114 155mm towed howitzer, in addition to the ZIS-3 76mm cannon, D-44 85mm anti-tank gun, KS-19 100mm anti-aircraft gun, in addition to the BM-21 "Hail" 40-barrel 122mm self-propelled rocket launcher. These weapons may be remnants of the last Soviet-Afghan war.
Lal Karimi tweeted
American artillery displayed by the Taliban Image source: social media
A Report by Al Jazeera on the 4th quoted a Taliban official as saying that the fighting in Panjhir is still ongoing, but the road to the provincial capital Bazarak has been laid with mines, which has delayed the progress of the fighting.
On September 4, local time, Ahmed Masood, the leader of the Afghan "National Resistance Front", said in a social media post that the "National Resistance Front" fighting against the Taliban in the northern Afghan province of Panjshir is still ongoing. He said the National Resistance Front would never give in and give up. At the same time, Masood also claimed that rumors that "Masood has moved to Tajikistan" are "fictitious".
In response to the Taliban offensive, Afghanistan's "acting president" Saleh admitted that two National Resistance Front commanders were killed and that the Taliban were using captured U.S.-made equipment to attack the resistance forces, the situation was difficult, but the resistance forces "will continue to fight."
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