Afghan resistance ready for conflict but prefers negotiations

He said, however, that Masood had different views to Amrullah Saleh, latterly the country's vice president who is also holed out in the valley and last week vowed to lead an uprising.

"Mr Saleh is in Panjshir. He opted to stay in the country and not flee," Nazary said, noting Saleh's strong anti-Pakistan stance was at odds with Massoud who wanted good relations with Afghanistan's Taliban-supporting neighbour.

"Mr Saleh is anti-Taliban and anti-Pakistani. That does not mean he is a part of this movement. He is in Panjshir and he is respected."

The aim right now is to defend Panjshir and its people, Nazary said.

"If there is any aggression because our fight is only for defence; if anyone attacks us we will defend ourselves."

SAFE ZONE

Alongside Massoud's fighting force, Panjshir now hosts more than 1,000 displaced people from across Afghanistan who have poured into the valley looking for sanctuary, Nazary said.

"We are seeing Panjshir become a safe zone for all those groups who feel threatened in other provinces."

He added the province has seen an influx of intellectuals, women's and human rights activists, and politicians "who feel threatened by the Taliban".

0 Response to "Afghan resistance ready for conflict but prefers negotiations"

Post a Comment