Masoud vows to save Panjshir, says Afghans will stand for their rights

Commander of tanti-Taliban resistance forces in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, Ahmad Shah Masoud, has vowed to save the valley from the outfit

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Commander of the anti-Taliban resistance forces in Afghanistan's Panjshir province, Ahmad Shah Masoud, has vowed to save the valley from the outfit and said that he will never stop his resistance for the sake of "God, justice and freedom," local media reported on Saturday.

Masoud said that the resistance in Panjshir and protests by women's rights in Afghanistan indicate that Afghans never give up when it comes to standing for their legitimate rights, the country's Khaama Press said today.

The war over Panjshir province escalated from Friday night and reports have emerged that Panjshir may collapse soon. However, resistance forces denied such claims.

The valley lies in the Hindu Kush mountains, approximately 90 miles north of Kabul. The Taliban have been unable to take this major holdout of resistance after steamrolling across pro-government troops in a matter of months.

In a Facebook post, Ahamd Masoud said, "The defeat only happens when you give up the fight for your legitimate rights and when you get tired."

Masoud has accused the Taliban of stopping humanitarian supply to the province. He has also urged the UN to press the Taliban to allow humanitarian aid to the province.

On Wednesday, Khaama Press reported that the Taliban's commission for guidance and encouragement's head Mullah Amir Khan Motaqi said that negotiations with Panjshir's leaders failed and asked the people of the province to motivate their leaders.

"This is the first time in the recent history of Afghanistan that a newly appointed government announces general amnesty and why should the people of Panjshir still be in trouble and they do not avail themselves of the freedom," Khaama Press quoted Motaqi as saying.