Afghanistan's Taliban, which spent 20 years combating the U.S.-backed authorities in Kabul as an insurgency, is now battling to defend its more and more draconian rule from resistance forces bent on reclaiming the nation from the Islamic hardliners. This newest section of battle, centered within the Panjshir and Andarab valleys north of Kabul, has taken a major toll already on each side — and on Afghan civilians.
Earlier this month the Nationwide Resistance Forces of Afghanistan (NRF) introduced a brand new army operation in opposition to Taliban forces aimed toward "liberating" the Panjshir and Andarab valleys.
The NRF is an alliance of anti-Taliban forces made up largely of former members of the nation's army and police, a lot of them skilled by U.S. forces through the two-decade struggle. Fashioned after Kabul fell to the Taliban final August, the NRF is led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the enduring Nineteen Nineties anti-Taliban militia chief Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The elder Massoud was killed by al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan simply earlier than the group carried out its September 11, 2001 terror assaults on the U.S.
The NRF, together with a number of smaller resistance teams, has vowed to "free Afghanistan" from the Taliban's rule.
The Taliban shortly despatched forces as much as Panjshir to counter the NRF offensive, and the group's leaders declare they captured dozens of NRF fighters earlier than declaring the state of affairs within the area "regular and peaceable" once more on Monday.
However each side claimed battlefield victories, with NRF spokesman Sibghatullah Ahmadi saying on Twitter late final week that at the very least 18 Taliban fighters had been killed in two assaults in Panjshir province alone. He confirmed that the NRF had additionally sustained casualties.
The NRF's commander in Panjshir, Khalid Amiry, stated Monday in a tweet that his troops had killed and wounded at the very least 200 Taliban militants within the latest clashes.
"Once they misplaced the battle in opposition to the resistance forces, in retaliation they commit struggle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity," stated Amiry, including a name for an "neutral investigation" by international organizations into the Taliban's actions within the area.
The Taliban wouldn't verify or deny causalities amongst its forces, however Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for group's central authorities in Kabul, tweeted a video (under) exhibiting a bunch of unarmed males sitting in entrance of armed Taliban fighters. Mujahid claimed "a lot of insurgents in Dara district of Panjshir province surrendered their weapons and joined the forces of Islamic Emirate."
NRF officers claimed the Taliban had really rounded-up unusual civilians in Panjshir to stage the video.
CBS Information couldn't independently confirm the movies introduced by the Taliban regime, or others that seem to indicate atrocities by its fighters.
Movies shared on social media, together with some posted by Taliban militants, have proven different purported surrenders, together with folks being crushed and killed in Panjshir and Andarab. In a single graphic video, a Taliban fighter will be heard saying, "these are soiled Panjshirs," as he walks over and spits on lifeless our bodies.
European Union Ambassador to Afghanistan Andreas Von Brandt stated in a tweet that he was "involved by the stories of killings of civilians and mistreatment in Panjshir" and he referred to as for "an overdue inclusive answer in governing Afghanistan."
"Many extraordinarily worrying movies, audios, and stories of violations from northern provinces of #panjshir #Takhar #Baghlan. Additional verification is required," stated Richard Bennett, the United Nations particular rapporteur on Afghanistan, including that he was watching the state of affairs "carefully."
Jamil, a resident and shopkeeper in Panjshir province, informed CBS Information in a telephone interview late final week that extra Taliban fighters had been nonetheless arriving every day. He stated residents would generally see visibly indignant Taliban members taking away their lifeless comrades.
"We do not wish to face them after they're indignant," he stated.
Regardless of a Taliban commander within the area's declare on Monday that the combating had stopped and the state of affairs was "regular," different residents informed French information company AFP that dozens of civilians had already fled Panjshir, afraid of getting caught up within the violence.
"We may solely decide up one or two objects of clothes," Lutfullah Bari informed AFP, saying he'd fled with dozens of different residents and was now taking shelter with relations within the Kabul space.
Aimal Rahimi, one other civilian from Panjshir, informed AFP that folks had been "afraid and escaping to avoid wasting their lives."