Peace deal with Panjshir Resistance? Taliban 80% confident, claims report
But is Panjshir Resistance only negotiating for Panjshir, or for a stake in the government to be formed? Details are not yet know, though Massoud earlier said that Panjshir resistance represents the people of Afghanistan, not only the people of Panjshir.
The Taliban are likely to strike a peace deal with the Panjshir Resistance as top leaders of both the groups are in talks, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said to Shamshad News Outlet, news agency ANI reported. The Taliban leader said he is 80 per cent confident of a solution without war in the Panjshir Valley, the free land in Afghanistan. If a peace deal is struck between the Taliban and the anti-Taliban forces, Panjshir will again remain free from the Taliban like it was between 1996 and 2001 when the rest of the country was under Taliban rule.
"We are in contact with people of Panjshir. We are in talks with the elders, influencers, and Jihadist commanders. The talks will soon solve the problem without war. I am 80 per cent confident that there will not be a need to go to war. According to our information, a peace agreement will be reached soon," Mujahid said.
'Do not want war': What Massoud said on Panjshir Resistance, deal with Taliban
The Taliban and the National Resistance Front (the Panjshir Resistance army) are up in arms over the Panjshir province as NRF leaders Massoud, son of legendary Ahmad Shah Massaoud, and acting president Amrullah Saleh have refused to surrender before the Taliban. The NRF has also captured Pol-e-Hesar, Deh Salah and Banu districts after Kabul caved in.
But what does a peace talk between the Taliban and the Panjshir resistance mean? Does it mean failure on part of the anti-Taliban forces? Massoud in his first interview given after the Taliban captured Kabul said the priority is to avoid bloodshed. He asserted that the NRF is in favour of a peace deal with the Taliban but if the Taliban do not agree to talks, then the anti-Taliban force is ready to go on a long war.
The probable peace deal between the Taliban and the Panjshir Resistance is not yet clear. Neither it is known whether the Resistance is negotiating only for the Panjshir province or for Afghanistan. Massoud earlier said that Panjshir resistance is not only for Panjshir as forces from all across the country have converged in Panjshir and that they will push for an inclusive government -- not a totalitarian government ruled by the Taliban.