Taliban claims it has taken Panjshir and ‘conquered’ Afghanistan but resistance group vows to fight on

The Taliban has claimed victory in Panjshir, the last remaining Afghan province held by the opposition, but resistance soldiers have vowed to fight on against the militant group, BBC reported.

The Taliban posted pictures on social media on Monday declaring triumph in the region, which remained undefeated under both the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and during the Taliban’s previous rule between 1996 and 2001.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the militant group, issued a statement overnight saying Panjshir was now under the control of Taliban fighters.

“With this victory, our country is completely taken out of the quagmire of war,” he told a press conference.

“We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight.”

Photographs posted online by the militant group appeared to show Taliban fighters in front of the gate of the provincial governor’s compound in the rugged mountain valley.

A white flag of the Islamic Emirate was reported to have been “hoisted on the Panjshir governor’s office”.

But resistance fighters rebuffed the claims, insisting they were still present in “all strategic positions” and “continue to fight” for the region.

“The Taliban haven’t captured Panjshir. I am rejecting Taliban claims,” Ali Maisam, spokesman for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), told the BBC.

The NRF added on Twitter: “Taliban’s claim of occupying Panjshir is false… We assure the [people] of Afghanistan that the struggle against the Taliban and their partners will continue until justice and freedom prevails.”