NRF claims 1600 Taliban dead or captured in Panjshir

“About 600 Taliban have been liquidated in various districts of Panjshir since morning. More than 1,000 Taliban have been captured or surrendered themselves.” – resistant spokesperson Fahim Dashti wrote on Twitter.

Panjshir is roughly 90 miles north of Kabul, snuggled deep within the Hindu Kush mountains. As of yet, the Taliban have not refuted these claims.

Taliban, interrupted

The Panjshir province, a place that outlasted the soviets (in the 80s), and the Taliban (from 96-01), has stood its ground as reports are coming in from the resistance.

In the month of August, the Taliban swept over the country of Afghanistan as the U.S. made its withdrawal, claiming nearly every square inch of the country, which is now being named the ‘2021 Taliban Offensive’.

With this power shift in the country, we see an anti-Taliban movement rising and consolidating in the Panjshir province. Hold-out Afghan National Army (ANA) troops have fled and are joining the resistance in Panjshir as well, bolstering the numbers, gear, and weapons for the NRF.

This movement is being led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Lion of Panjshir, who was assassinated two days before September 11th, 2001. The attack was carried out by Al-Qaeda.

Ahmad Massoud is a strong leader and is revered much like his father once was, but this fight will be his crucible, make no mistake. They have a long battle ahead of them, but if this weekend is any indication of future engagements, we will have a steady stream of more battles ahead.

We will be monitoring this situation closely as it unfolds. Stay tuned to Pop Smoke Media for more news, stories, and updates.