Panjshir Valley Afghanistan – What to know about di place wey dey try to stop di Taliban

Panjshir - di valley wey dey try to hold off di Taliban

AFP
Resistance fighters don gada for Panjshir province, just north of Kabul

Di Taliban don sweep through Afghanistan with fast speed wey pipo no go ever forget.

But as dem siddon for Kabul dey plan dia new goment, one large thorn still remain for dia side: dat na one small valley of anti-Taliban resistance wey dey north-east of di capital.

Dis place refuse to give up upon say di Taliban don surround dem for every corner.

Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Motaqi don call on di residents of Panjshir Valley to lay down dia weapons, but dem neva show sign to obey.

Report say dozens of Taliban fighters na im don die for di kasala along Panjshir Valley borders since 15 August, wen di Taliban defeat Kabul, and fighting still continue.

So wetin exactly dey happen for di Panjshir Valley – and e dey of serious concern to make di Taliban dey worried?

Who be di resistance fighters?

Di valley for eastern Afghanistan don become di home of di National Resistance Front (NRF), one multi-ethnic group made up of militias and former Afghan security force members, wey report say reach thousands.

Fotos wey come out dis week show wetin appear to be one organised, well-armed and well-trained group.

Panjshir - di valley wey dey try to hold off di Taliban

AFP
Resistance fighters dey train for late August

Former vice-president Amrullah Saleh don join di NRF, but dia leader na Ahmad Massoud, wey e papa dey known as di “Lion of Panjshir”, and for good reason.

Ahmad Shah Massoud not only block di Soviet invasion during di 1980s, but also go ahead to keep di Taliban out during 1990s, only for assassins to kill am two days before 9/11.

Im son – wey be 32-year-old King College London and Sandhurst Military Academy graduate – dey ready now to do di same thing and keep di Taliban out.

And not only say e dey look for support at home – early dis year, e meet with France President Emmanuel Macron, in order to bid for international partners as di US withdrawal bin dey draw near.

Panjshir - di valley wey dey try to hold off di Taliban

Reuters
Photo of Ahmad Massoud for 2019, wen e be di leader of di resistance

For one interview with CNN, Massoud warn say di militants neva change – e add say im and e fighters believe say “democracy, di rights, and freedom of all citizens regardless of race and gender need to dey preserved”.

Wetin di Taliban want?

Di militant group don dey push di idea say di Taliban “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan na home for all Afghans”.

Di Panjshir Valley resistance – right on di doorstep of di capital – na blow to dis particular image of unity.

On social media, hashtags wey dey support for di resistance don begin dey pop up.

Panjshir - di valley wey dey try to hold off di Taliban

BBC
Map of Panjshir Valley

Di Taliban and di NRF don bin dey negotiate but, although both sides say dem dey committed to avoid war, dem neva reach any settlement, and e be like say tok-tok don give way to open fighting.

Di Taliban say dem don send hundreds of fighters, but Panjshir dey ready.

According to news agency AFP, Taliban fighters wey make am go di edge of di valley dey receive greetings from machine gun nests, mortars and surveillance posts wey dey fortified with sandbags.

Both sides say dem don cause casualties, but di exact numbers dey difficult to measure. NRF don deny claims by di Taliban wey say dem don take control of certain areas.

Report say di Taliban dey also try to cut supply lines wey go di valley, with di hope to force di resistance to give up.

Wetin Panjshir be like?

Panjshir na one of Afghanistan smallest provinces and na home to somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 pipo, e hide behind mountains wey reach 9,800ft (3,000m) above di Panjshir River.

During peaceful years, pipo dey pack go visit di valley, because of di beautiful views and di safety wey e dey offer.

Na home to different pipo with di largest group wey be di ethnic groupTajiks.

Residents of di valley don develop one good quality wey be bravery, thanks to dia experience of fighting off outsiders.

Di valley – wey historically dey known for gems and mining – don benefit from investment in recent years.

For di past 20 years, dem don build hydroelectric dams and one wind farm plus roads and one radio tower.