Download
Afghan resistance refuses to surrender to Taliban and warns of war: al-Arabiya
Updated 08:12, 23-Aug-2021
CGTN

Ahmad Massoud, the son of former anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, said he will not surrender areas under his control to the Taliban, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV channel cited him as saying on Sunday.

Massoud called on the formation of a comprehensive government to rule the country with the participation of the Taliban, warning that war will be "unavoidable" if the Taliban refuse dialogue, the TV channel said.

He has so far assembled a fighting force of around 9,000 people in a resistance movement, the National Resistance Front (NRF), also known as Panjshir Resistance, against the Taliban, according to AFP.

The anti-Taliban force gaining strength in northeast Afghanistan's Panjshir has claimed to have taken control over Pul-e-Hesar, Deh Salah, and Banu.

01:44

Earlier, NRF spokesperson Ali Maisam Nazary told AFP that the group's main goal is to avoid further bloodshed in Afghanistan and press for a new system of government, but it also prepared for conflict, and if the Taliban do not negotiate they will face resistance across the country.

The Taliban have reportedly reached out to Russia for help to mediate with the resistance force.

Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov said on Saturday that a senior member of the Taliban's political leadership has asked Russia to tell fighters in the Panjshir Valley that the Taliban hope to reach a political agreement to settle the situation there.

The diplomat says the Taliban claim they don't want bloodshed in the region.

(With input from agencies)

Search Trends