Republican insurgency in Afghanistan

"Panjshir conflict" redirects here. For the Soviet–Afghan conflict in Panjshir area, see Panjshir offensives (Soviet–Afghan War).

Republican insurgency in Afghanistan
Part of the Afghan conflict
Date17 August 2021[14] – present
(3 years, 3 months and 6 days)
Location
Panjshir, Parwan, Baghlan, Wardak, Daykundi, Samangan, Balkh and Kabul provinces, Afghanistan
Status Ongoing as a hit-and-run campaign[15]
Territorial
changes		 Taliban captures the Panjshir Valley, NRF controls no territory[16][17][15]
Belligerents

 Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

al-Qaeda (alleged)[1]
Supported by:
 Pakistan (unconfirmed)[2][3][4]

 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan loyalists[note 1]

Supported by:
 Tajikistan (alleged)[10][11]

Independent militias[12] Taliban dissidents[13]
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Various pro-Taliban militias
Foreign Mujahideen (possibly affiliated with al-Qaeda)[1]

Pakistan Armed Forces (unconfirmed, rejected by Pakistan)[2][3][4]

National Resistance Front of Afghanistan[7]

Various non-NRF militias[38][39][8][40]

Strength
60,000–260,000 Taliban armed forces overall

2,000–10,000 (Panjshir resistance; estimates)[42]

  • c. 9,000 (Ahmad Massoud's forces; self-claim)[40]
Unknown number of independent militias[40]
Casualties and losses
NRF claim:
950+ killed, 1,500+ captured
(2021)[43][44][45][46][47]		 Heavy casualties[48]
IEA claims: Large number of POWs, vehicles and weapons also captured

The republican insurgency in Afghanistan is an ongoing low-level[49][50] guerrilla war[51][52] between the National Resistance Front and allied groups which fight under the banner of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on one side,[38] and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the state controlled by the Taliban) on the other side.[53] On 17 August 2021, former first vice president of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh declared himself the "caretaker" president of Afghanistan and announced the resistance.[5][54] On 26 August, a brief ceasefire was declared.[55] On 1 September, talks broke down and fighting resumed as the Taliban attacked resistance positions.[56]

As of 3 September 2021, in addition to the opposition in the Panjshir, there were also districts in the centre of Afghanistan that still resisted the Taliban, supported by ethnic and religious minorities.[57] On 6 September, the Taliban took control of most of the Panjshir province, with resistance fighters retreating to the mountains to continue fighting within the province.[17][58] Clashes in the valley mostly ceased mid-September,[59] while resistance leaders Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud fled to neighboring Tajikistan.[60][61] Despite these developments, NRF holdouts continued to fight, still waging a guerrilla campaign in several provinces including Baghlan, Balkh, Badakhshan, and Faryab by early 2022.[13] In addition, an independent anti-Taliban militia still held territory in Samangan Province as of December 2021.[12][8]

As of December 2022, the NRF controlled no territory but continued to carry out hit and run guerrilla attacks.[15] As of December 2023, NRF leader Ahmad Massoud claimed that the NRF was conducting attacks against the Taliban in 20 out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.[62]

  1. ^ a b Roggio, Bill (2 September 2021). "National Resistance Front repels multi-day Taliban assault on Panjshir | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
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  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Tolo_Fahim_Dashti_killed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  5. ^ a b c "Afghan vice president says he is "caretaker" president". reuters.com. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  6. ^ Ghosh, Poulomi (30 September 2021). "'Useless': Taliban say Amrullah Saleh's 'govt in exile' won't be able to deceive world". msn. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 4Srer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c "چه کسانی در سمنگان با طالبان می‌جنگند؟". ایندیپندنت فارسی (in Persian). 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
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  10. ^ "Afghan resistance has sanctuary in Tajikistan, but fighting Taliban a 'non-viable prospect'". France24. 10 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan diverge on approaches to Afghanistan". eurasianet. 24 September 2021. Archived from the original on 19 April 2022.
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  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Pannier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference c26 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b c Dawi, Akmal (20 December 2022). "Frustrated with the Taliban, US Officials Meet Anti-Taliban Figures". Voice of America. Retrieved 30 December 2022. The NRF has executed hit-and-run attacks against the Taliban in some parts of Afghanistan but has not been able to hold territory.
  16. ^ Pannett, Rachel; Khan, Haq Nawaz; Mehrdad, Ezzatullah; O'Grady, Siobhán (6 September 2021). "Panjshir Valley, last resistance holdout in Afghanistan, falls to the Taliban". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  17. ^ a b Roggio, Bill (6 September 2021). "Taliban completes conquest of Afghanistan after seizing Panjshir". FDD's Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Ahmad Massoud: Anti-Taliban Resistance from the Panjshir Valley". LangcangKuning.com. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Taliban Appoints Former Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Lead Fight in Panjshir | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 22 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Taliban stronger than ever a year after takeover". Japan Times. 14 August 2022.
  21. ^ Loyd, Anthony (6 September 2021). "Taliban on verge of crushing last stronghold of resistance in Panjshir Valley". The Times.
  22. ^ a b "Taliban claim complete control of Afghan province of Panjshir". The Express Tribune. 6 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Outgunned and alone: How Panjshir's resistance fell to the Taliban". Agence France-Presse. The New Indian Express. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  24. ^ Huylebroek, Jim; Blue, Victor J.; Fassihi, Farnaz; Arian, Wali (17 September 2021). "In Panjshir, Few Signs of an Active Resistance, or Any Fight at All". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Taliban Member Killed in Explosion in Kabul". Afghanistan International. 23 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023.
  26. ^ "'Fight to the death' looms in Panjshir Valley". Asia Times. 26 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
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  28. ^ a b Khalid, Tuqa (5 September 2021). "Spokesman of Afghanistan resistance killed in fighting with Taliban". Al Arabiya English.
  29. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference nyt250821 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ "برای آزادی، شرف، عزت و هویتمان می‌جنگیم". panjshirnews.com (in Persian). Afghanistan Voice Press. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Fahim Dashti survived the 'Lion of Panjshir' assassination. Now, under Taliban fire, he is killed". The Week. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023.
  32. ^ a b "تنش در سرپل؛ طالبان به ولسوالی بلخاب "نیروی نظامی" اعزام می‌کند". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). 13 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  33. ^ Daily, Hasht-e Subh (27 December 2022). "NRF Leader Swears He Would Avenge the Death of Top Anti-Taliban Commander". Hasht-e Subh Daily. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  34. ^ George, Susannah; Tassal, Aziz (8 June 2022). "Inside the Taliban's secret war in the Panjshir Valley". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
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  37. ^ "Taliban Suffer First Battlefield Loss Since Fall of Kabul".
  38. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AAN01092021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ a b Schnell, Michael (1 September 2021). "Heavy fighting reported in last Afghanistan province not under Taliban control". The Hill. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  40. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference france24-220821 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Filseth, Trevor (7 September 2021). "Panjshir Resistance: Heavy Fighting as Taliban Escalate Attacks". Retrieved 10 September 2021.
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  44. ^ "Almost 600 Taliban fighters killed by Panjshir forces". Dhaka Tribune. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  45. ^ "Taliban, National Resistance Front clash in Panjshir, Baghlan provinces: Report". India Today. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  46. ^ "At least seven Taliban reported killed in Panjshir fighting". Reuters. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  47. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (21 August 2021). "Resistance fighters drive Taliban from 3 districts in the mountains north of Kabul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021. The fighters claimed to have killed as many as 30 Taliban and captured nearly two dozen more. A pro-Taliban Twitter account put the militants' death toll at half that number.
  48. ^ Freeman, Colin (5 September 2021). "Last Afghan resistance pocket in Panjshir Valley 'on brink of collapse' amid Taliban assault". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  49. ^ "Taliban's Reversion to Sharia-Based Public Punishments Dominated". Voice of America. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  50. ^ Bezhan, Frud (30 June 2023). "The Azadi Briefing: Violence 'Widespread' In Afghanistan, Despite Conflict Subsiding". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  51. ^ Irish, John (29 September 2023). "No current talks with Taliban, Afghanistan's Massoud says, promising guerrilla warfare". Reuters.
  52. ^ Ur Rehman, Zia (13 June 2022). "Afghanistan's resistance alliance aims to pry Taliban's grip loose". Nikkei Asia.
  53. ^ "Anti-Taliban resistance group says it has thousands of fighters". BBC News. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  54. ^ "An anti-Taliban front forming in Panjshir? Ex top spy Saleh, son of 'Lion of Panjshir' meet at citadel". The Week. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  55. ^ Syed, Azaz (26 August 2021). "Taliban, Northern Alliance agree not to attack each other: sources". www.geo.tv. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  56. ^ Tanzeem, Ayesha (1 September 2021). "Fighting Breaks Out Between Taliban, Panjshiri Resistance After Failed Talks". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  57. ^ De Wolf, Ludwig (3 September 2021). "Welles-nietesspel over eindstrijd Panjshir, taliban voeren hevige strijd om laatste opstandige provincie". VRT NWS. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  58. ^ Kazmin, Amy; Findlay, Stephanie; Bokhari, Farhan (6 September 2021). "Taliban says it has captured last Afghan region of resistance". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  59. ^ Huylebroek, Jim; Blue, Victor J. (17 September 2021). "In Panjshir, Few Signs of an Active Resistance, or Any Fight at All". The New York Times.
  60. ^ Filseth, Trevor (23 September 2021). "After Renegade Province's Fall, Panjshir Resistance Leaders Surface in Tajikistan". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021.
  61. ^ Wheeldon, Tom (4 October 2021). "Afghan resistance has sanctuary in Tajikistan, but fighting Taliban a 'non-viable prospect'". France 24. FRANCE24.English. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  62. ^ Rai, Arpan (25 December 2023). "The Afghan resistance movement bringing the fight to the Taliban's doorstep". Retrieved 13 January 2024.


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