Afghan resistance fighters recapture three districts from Taliban

According to Abdul Rahman, 53, the former commander of Baghlan prison, 30 Taliban fighters were killed. Local citizens are also said to have taken part. “Everyone in the valley rose up against the Taliban,” Abdul Rahman said. “We are not afraid of the Taliban.” The reports cannot be independently confirmed yet.

Last Friday, Ahmed Masoud, a prominent rebel fighter from the Panjshir Valley (next to Baghlan), published an opinion piece in the Washington Post calling on the United States to support its armed resistance. He claimed to have many rebels, though he did not say how many there were.

Despite these reports, it remains to be seen to what extent there is an organized and effective resistance in Afghanistan at the moment. The Taliban occupied the country in record time from the (much larger) Afghan army, which had the latest technology thanks to Western support. The Taliban seized a lot of weapons. According to specialists, the Taliban is now much stronger than it was twenty years ago, and the resistance will not have much chance of success.