The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has brought the world to its darkest hour. This led to the collapse of the government and thousands fleeing their homes. Many people were left homeless and helpless around the world.
With the Taliban’s furious takeover of Afghanistan, calls for change are still echoing through the valleys of Panjshir, where resistance was first formed.
Is there any other resistance group that existed before NRF?
Ahmad Shah Massoud was a politician and Mujahideen combatant at the time. He formed a resistance to the Soviets in 1979, after which Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviets.
Later, he found himself fighting with rival warlords, and then the Taliban. In 1996, the Taliban overtook Burhanuddin Rabani, a Mujahideen fighter who was also president at that time. The Taliban controlled 90 percent of Afghanistan by 1998, making it its strongest year.
Ahmad Shah Massoud, also known as the “Lion of Panjshir” was later assassinated on January 1, 2001.
Who is the National Resistance Front then?
Ahmad Shah Massoud’s son, Ahmad Massoud, founded the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF). “I write from Panjshir Valley, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with Mujahideen fighters who are prepared to once again take on the Taliban,” Massoud in an op-ed to the Washington Post.
With tensions increasing and Taliban control rapidly escalating, sources claim that the battle for the NRF and Taliban has already begun.
Three districts were retaken by the Taliban in Kabul’s northern province of Baghlan. They are bordered by Panjshir province.
Can the NRF be successful?
Panjshir Valley is a place that has many stories of resistance. In the past, it was difficult to conquer. In the 1980 and 1990s, the Soviet Union and the Taliban failed to capture the province.
According to reports, the NRF has the support of 6,000 troops “[My forces] want to defend, they want to fight, they want to resist against any totalitarian regime,” Reuters was informed by Mr. Massoud.
Ahmad Massoud: Who are you?
Ahmad Massoud, 32 years of age, was trained as a foreign cadet at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst and further studied at King’s College. He later received a Master’s in international politics, as well as centering his undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation on the Taliban.
Massoud’s mission has been to fight and disband hardline extremism in the country, with the goal of a prosperous future for those in Afghanistan.
What does this all mean for Afghanistan?
Well, it’s not as simple as we think.
Massoud still hopes for peace but things could quickly escalate if the Taliban refuse to negotiate. “We have stores of ammunition and arms that we have patiently collected since my father’s time because we knew this day might come.”Said Massoud, in his Op-ed For the Washington Post.
According to UNHRC, since May 2021, nearly 390,000 Afghans have been displaced within the country – 80 percents are women and children.
As many Afghan families flee their homeland, the international community calls for help and support.