Panjshir turns into ghost town, those who fled say no clear winner between Taliban and NRF | World News
As all communication channels were snapped, residents of one village did not know what was happening in the next village. While the Taliban claim they have captured Panjshir, the valley has fallen silent with only old people and livestock left.
With the struggle for Panjshir extending over weeks now, the mountain province of Afghanistan’s Panjshir has turned into a ghost town with the majority of people leaving for other cities, especially Kabul. Panjshir is the only province in Afghanistan which the Taliban have not been able to fully capture, though they claimed the same. The Northern Resistance Front claimed the fighting is still on and Ahmad Massoud is also seeking the help of the United States through a lobbyist in Washington.
While reports claimed that Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh, the two leaders of teh Pajnhsir Resistance, are still in the valley, the villages of the province now lie deserted with mostly old men and livestock left behind, news agency AFP reported as it took a tour in the province.
‘Taliban do not want people to leave’
Shops are closed and most of the provinces are under Taliban control who do not want residents to leave the valley so that they can have a human shield.
Why are people leaving the only one Taliban-free area of the country? Those interviewed by the news agency said they do not feel free in the valley anymore as the Taliban have penetrated the villages. All humanitarian assistance was blocked in the valley, leaving no other option for the residents than to flee.
‘We did not know what was happening in the next village’
Some of the Panjshir residents who fled to Kabul were interviewed by Al Jazeera and they said ever after weeks of fight it was not clear who was winning. A former government worker told Al Jazeera that the villages were cut off from each other in such a manner that they did not know what was happening in the next village.
‘All fighters were forgiven’
While the Panjshir leaders claimed that the clash is still on, the Taliban claimed that the opposition has surrendered. “Their fighting was very weak. They could not resist us. They were defeated with the grace of God. All of their communication was taken out, and they surrendered to us. They knew the reality after they surrendered when no one was murdered and they were all given letters of amnesty. They were returned to their homes and their daily lives,” Taliban commander Sanaullah Sangin told AFP
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“평생 사상가. 웹 광신자. 좀비 중독자. 커뮤니케이터. 창조자. 프리랜서 여행 애호가.”