Afghanistan: Taliban set to attack Panjsher Valley after talks fail

Update: Anti-Taliban forces locally known as the Northern Alliance have declared they have thousands of men ready to protect their stronghold and region.

Update: Civilians from all across Afghanistan are taking refuge in Panjsher Valley.

Update: Some reports suggest Hazaras have taken up arms against the Taliban, reclaiming their lost land in the south. *These reports are unconfirmed*

As this is developing, talks can succeed or fail at any given time and we will have to wait to stem the facts out of false information, but as time progresses and if the talks fail then there will indeed be violence.

---

The Taliban are allegedly on their way to mount an attack on the Panjsher Valley, thousands of Taliban fighters were already on their way before the talks were to be held between the Taliban leaders and Anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmad Massoud who is the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, “Lion of Panjsher.”

The Taliban had refused to acknowledge Massoud’s wish list denying the conditions he had put forward before the talks could commence. An ultimatum was then given to Massoud to surrender or face consequences and as the deadline has now reached, information has started coming out of Panjsher claiming the fighting to have started while other reports allegedly claim the opposite, of no fights taking place at all.

Massoud’s men had reclaimed 3 districts of the Panjsher Valley and announced the Taliban had fled the area after witnessing heavy losses. The Taliban did not deny the claims and one thing is certain, if the Taliban go with force then they will be met with the same type of force that works from the shadows and their own infamous tactics will be used against them.

The valley of Panjsher is also reportedly the safe haven for the higher officials of the ousted Afghan government including the self-proclaimed President Amrullah Saleh, who citing Afghanistan’s constitution had declared himself as the caretaker President of the country after former President Ashraf Ghani fled.