In a recent development, the Taliban have declared their victory over the province of Panjshir, northeast of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is reportedly said that Panjshir was the final pocket of territory that had remained outside their rule.

On Tuesday, BBC reported that the group posted footage online of their fighters raising their flag at Governor’s House in Panjshir on Monday.

However, the resistance fighters said that they are still present in “all strategic positions” and “continue to fight”. Their leader has called for a “national uprising” against the Taliban.

Also read: Taliban invite China, others to attend government formation ceremony: Report

Leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), Ahmad Massoud reportedly blamed the international community for legitimising the Taliban and giving them military and political confidence.

“Wherever you are, inside or outside, I call on you to begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country,” Massoud said, BBC reported.

The Taliban, on August 15 seized Kabul and took control of the rest of Afghanistan following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

BBC reported that it took nearly 20 years after US forces led an invasion to topple the Taliban.

Also read: No wrangling over government formation, only technical things left: Taliban

Panjshir, which is home for rugged mountain valleys and people between 150,000 to 200,000. It was a centre of resistance when Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation in the 1980s and during the Taliban’s previous period of rule, between 1996 and 2001.

Panjshir – with its maze of valleys, crevices and caves – has been its greatest natural defence in repelling invaders. The Soviet army never managed to conquer it in the 1980s; the Taliban did not control it the first time round in the 1990s.

Since the time of coming to power back, the Taliban have sought to portray themselves as more tolerant, but incidents of brutality and repression are still being reported in parts of Afghanistan.

Though the Taliban group has promised to respect the rights of women, many fear a return to the way they were treated when they were previously in power. Women were forced to cover their faces outside, and suffered harsh punishments for minor transgressions.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday travelled to Qatar and held talks with the government about the situation in Afghanistan. He also thanked them for their part in helping the US evacuations from Kabul.

Reports suggest that more than 120,000 people were air-lifted from Kabul in a US-led operation before their forces fully withdrew from the country on August 31, 2021.