The resistance fighters of the Panjshir province, which is not controlled by the Taliban, have asked Western countries to help them with weapons. This is stated in a statement by their leader Ahmad Masood, published on August 18 in The Washington Post.
"I ask the friends of Afghanistan in the West to stand up for us in Washington and New York, before the Congress and the administration of (US President Joe-Ed.) Biden, to stand up for us in London, where I completed my studies, and in Paris, where this spring they honored the memory of my father by naming an alley in the garden on the Champs — Elysees in his honor," Masood said.
According to him, the United States and its allies have "left the battlefield," but America can still be "the great arsenal of democracy."
The head of the resistance claims that the soldiers of the Afghan army have already responded to his call, who are heading to Panjshir with weapons and equipment.
"No matter what happens, I and my Mujahideen fighters will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan freedom. Our fighting spirit is intact. But we need more weapons, more ammunition and more equipment, " the statement on the newspaper's website says.
Masood, whom the publication calls the leader of the Resistance Front of Afghanistan, is the son of the late head of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masood, who also fought with the militants of the Taliban movement (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation).
Panjshir is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan with a population of more than 140 thousand people and the most difficult terrain. The main forces of NATO troops led by the United States were based in the province. The Taliban failed to capture the Panjshir Gorge 25 years ago, when they came to power in 1996 — the leader of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, resisted them, gaining a foothold in this province.
On August 15, Taliban militants entered Kabul, after which they declared the" end of the war "in Afghanistan, calling it the" liberation " of the country. Representatives of the radical movement also said that they would soon announce the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and also demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. Also, the representative of the "Taliban" said that Afghanistan will not be a democratic state.
President Ashraf Ghani resigned on the same day and left the country.
In early May, the United States began withdrawing its troops from the region, planning to complete it by the end of August.
