Taliban battle for final holdout province
The Hindu
In Panjshir Valley, forces loyal to Ahmad Massoud are reportedly fighting to repulse ‘heavy assaults’
Anti-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley said on Friday they were battling to repulse “heavy” assaults, as the Islamists seek to capture the last holdout province defying their rule. Efforts to strike a peace deal between the two sides have failed, and the Taliban are keen to cap their lightning military offensive which saw them seize control of the rest of Afghanistan last month. “The Taliban have a significant advantage,” said Nishank Motwani, an Afghan analyst based in Australia, saying the Islamists were emboldened by their recent victories.
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