The Taliban fought with local resistance forces in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley on Thursday, with each side saying it had inflicted heavy casualties in recent days of combat, according to local news reports.

The clashes came after efforts to negotiate a settlement between the two sides appeared to have broken down and each side blamed the other for the failure of talks.

"We started operations after negotiation with the local armed group failed," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding the group's fighters had entered Panjshir and taken control of some territory. "They (the enemy) suffered heavy losses."

A spokesman for the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) said it had full control of all passes and entrances and had driven back efforts to take Shotul district.

"The enemy made multiple attempts to enter Shotul from Jabul-Saraj, and failed each time," he said, referring to a town in neighboring Parwan province.

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Since the Taliban swept into Kabul on August 15, several thousand fighters from local militias and remnants of the government's armed forces have massed in Panjshir under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of former anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

They have been holding out in the steep valley where attacks from outside are difficult.

(With input from Reuters)