The Taliban have besieged the last non-subjugated province of Punjab in Afghanistan / Article

The Taliban have besieged Punjab, the only Afghan province not yet subject to the group’s regime, one Taliban leader said on Wednesday, calling on opponents to reach an agreement.

Since the fall of Kabul on 15 August, Punjab has been the only non-Taliban province. Battles between the Taliban and local militants continue in the neighboring province of Baghlan.

In Punjab, Ahmad Masud, the son of the legendary Mujahideen leader Ahmad Masud, leads a large group of thousands of men, including local fighters and former soldiers of the disbanded Afghan army, including special task force fighters.

Masud, the latest, has called for a negotiated settlement with the Taliban, while warning that he will oppose an attack on the Punjab province.

In a video message, high-ranking Taliban leader Amir Hans Motakui called on Taliban opponents to lay down their arms.

The Taliban have said they will forgive all Afghans who have worked for foreign forces for the past 20 years, but many people want to leave the country for fear of retaliation.

Motakui said the Taliban had tried to reach an agreement with their opponents in Punjab, but the talks had failed.

He revealed that the Taliban are strengthening their positions on the four sides of the Punjab Valley and that there is no reason to start fighting. He also reminded opponents that so far the Taliban have not been defeated, even with the support of NATO and the United States.

Motakui said the Taliban wanted to resolve the situation in Punjab peacefully.

At least seven Taliban militants fell in Taliban clashes with resistance fighters on Monday.

A spokesman for the National Resistance Front (NPF) said today that the Taliban had launched an attack two days ago and were attacking three or four different districts, but had so far been repelled. The spokesman said he had no news of new casualties yet.

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