Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley Remains Out of Taliban's Reach

After the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, civil war broke out in Afghanistan, which the Taliban ultimately won. However, Massoud and his United Front (also known as the Northern Alliance) succeeded in controlling not only the Panjshir Valley but almost all of northeastern Afghanistan up to the border with China and Tajikistan, thus protecting the region from the Taliban.

Massoud also espoused conservative Islam but sought to build democratic institutions and personally believed that women should be given an equal place in society. His goal was a unified Afghanistan in which ethnic and religious boundaries would be less clear. However, the Human Rights Watch organization accused Massoud’s troops of committing massive human rights violations in the battle for Kabul during the civil war.

In 2001, Massoud was assassinated by suspected al-Qaeda militants.

Son Following in “Father’s Footsteps”
Now, the son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, Ahmad Massoud, says he is hoping to follow in his “father’s footsteps.”

Massoud, who closely resembles his father in appearance and habits, commands a militia in the valley.

He said he has been joined by former members of the country’s special forces and soldiers from the Afghan army “disgusted by the surrender of their commanders.”

Social media images show the ousted vice president, Saleh, meeting with Massoud, and the duo appear to be assembling the first pieces of a guerrilla movement to take on the Taliban.

Massoud also called on the United States to supply arms and ammunition to his militia.

In an op-ed published Wednesday in The Washington Post, Ahmad Massoud said “America can still be a great arsenal of democracy” by supporting his fighters.

“I write from the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban,” he said.

Russia also emphasized on Thursday that a resistance movement was forming in the Panjshir Valley, led by Saleh and Massoud. “The Taliban doesn’t control the whole territory of Afghanistan,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Taliban “Will Win Quickly and Easily”
It is, however, not clear how strong this new anti-Taliban resistance movement is and how the new rulers in Kabul will react to it.

“If we can take the Taliban at their word, then Panjshir should be safe because the war in Afghanistan is over. The Taliban have pledged to stop using force, which suggests that they will leave areas not controlled by the Taliban alone. But we will have to wait and see,” Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Wilson Center, told DW.

He added: “But if an organized military resistance forms in the region, I don’t think it’s out of the question that the Taliban will go against it. And if they do, they will win quickly and easily.”

Rodion Ebbighausen is Managing editor at DW’s Asia department.This article is published courtesy of Deutsche Welle (DW).