While the Taliban has claimed it has “completely captured” the Panjshir province, the National Resistance Front in Afghanistan (NRF) said that its forces are well entrenched in strategic positions across the valley and fighting continues.
Although it did not deny the centre of Panjshir had fallen to the Taliban militants, the NRF said other areas in Panjshir remained under its control.
NRF spokesman Ali Nazary told CNN: "The resistance is still all over the valley. Most of Bazarak district and all the side valleys are controlled by the NRF.
"Taliban's claim of occupying Panjshir is false. The NRF forces are present in all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight. We assure the people of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails," the NRF said.
Panjshir was the last remaining hold-out among Afghanistan's 34 provinces to resist the Taliban.
Taliban goes for the kill in Panjshir with ISI Chief in command
The Taliban had claimed it had completely captured the Panjshir province with photos and videos shared on social media showing the white flag of the Taliban hoisted between buildings in what was claimed to be the centre of Panjshir.
Taliban goes for the kill in Panjshir with ISI Chief in command
"The last nest of the enemy, Panjshir province, was completely conquered… We assure the honorable people of Panjshir that they will not face any discriminatory treatment. They are all our brothers, and we will work for one country and one common goal. With the recent efforts and this victory, our country is completely out of the vortex of war," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet.
The claim comes after a weekend of fierce fighting in the Panjshir Valley, in which there were heavy casualties reported on both sides.
Reports also claimed that Amrullah Saleh, the acting president of Afghanistan, has moved to a safe place after a helicopter attack on his house.
NRF leader Ahmad Massoud said in a Facebook post on Sunday he is in support of clerics in the capital Kabul who have called for an end to the fighting and was ready to talk once the Taliban withdrew troops from Panjshir and the adjoining district of Andarab.
The NRF had vowed to fight the Taliban but also said it was willing to negotiate with the Islamists. But several rounds of talks that were held broke down with each side blaming the other for the failure.
Panjshir is a strategically located valley with high mountainous terrain about 145 km north of Kabul. It is the only region among Afghanistan's 34 provinces that has been fighting back after the US troop withdrawal led to the Taliban overrunning Afghanistan in a 10-day blitzkrieg that saw the Afghanistan army melting without putting up a fight.
The Panjshir Valley is known for its valour as it remained a pocket of resistance against the Soviet forces in the 1980s and the Taliban in the late 1990s.
