Resistance leader Massoud against Taliban: my men are ready for battle

Saleh has declared himself acting president after President Ghani fled the country a week ago. According to Saleh, Taliban fighters have now gathered at the entrance to the Panjshir Valley. He writes on Twitter that this group was ambushed yesterday and suffered heavy losses.

Although the valley is difficult to take, experts say, it is questionable how long the resistance groups can survive without international aid. Massoud early last week in an opinion piece in The Washington Post the United States for aid and weapons.

‘6000 resistance fighters’

Massoud’s army consists of local militias and remnants of the Afghan government army. He says he has about 6000 armed supporters. “They want to defend themselves, they want to fight and oppose a totalitarian regime,” said the resistance leader. Only diplomacy leads to a solution, is his message to the Taliban.

Massoud calls for the formation of a government that accommodates all ethnic groups in the country. The Taliban have pledged to form a “strong, inclusive Islamic government”. It was also promised that no revenge would be taken, but according to human rights organizations these are empty promises. There are various notifications of murders and torture.

According to Massoud, the capture of three Taliban districts was a direct response to such human rights violations. Incidentally, the resistance leader said he had not coordinated that offensive.

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