The current acting President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, has warned the Taliban not to enter the Panjshir Valley. Saleh tweeted that the Talibs have massed forces near the entrance to Panjshir a day after they got trapped in ambush zones of neighbouring Andarab valley and hardly went out in one piece.

He further said that the Salang highway is closed by the forces of resistance. He concluded by saying that there are terrains to be avoided, see you.

Here’s the tweet:

Panjshir is the only province in Afghanistan that is still free from the Taliban. The forces that are resisting the Taliban in northern Afghanistan have said that they have so far taken three close spots to the Panjshir valley.

Who is Amrullah Saleh?

Amrullah Saleh is an Afghan politician of the Tajik tribe, who has claimed he is the acting President of Afghanistan since he was the former vice president under Ashraf Ghani. It is reported that he along with Ahmad Massoud, the son of the Lion of Panjshir, Ahmad Shah Massoud, have vowed to resist the Taliban from Panjshir. Saleh is a Ahmad Shah Massoud loyalist and has been a virulent Taliban critic. The Taliban and Massoud senior fought alongside though not as allies against the Soviets but soon fell out once the Taliban seized power, unleashing medieval practices on the women and minorities of the country. The Taliban also supported Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.

According to reports, there are more than 6,000 fighters who have gathered in the Panjshir valley. They also said that they have some helicopters and military vehicles and have also repaired some of the vehicles that were left behind by the Soviets.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan earlier this month. Soon after the Taliban entered Kabul, people started rushing to the airport and was trying to run away from the country. Several countries have joined hands to evacuate people from Afghanistan. Recently, India evacuated several people from Afghanistan.