Afghanistan: SAS Trained Commando Joins Afghan Resistance In The Fight Against The Taliban

SAS trained forces are said to be among an armed resistance forming in Afghanistan’s Panjshir valley following the takeover of the Taliban. 

Fighters have gathered in the Panjshir valley, north of Kabul in the Hindu Kush, which was formerly used as a resistance stronghold against the Soviets in the 1980s and against the Taliban in the 1990s.

In a statement made this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed the formation of the armed resistance and said it was being led by both Saleh and Ahmad Massoud, the son of slain anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Massoud, whose father was assassinated two days before the September 11 attacks on the US in 2001, said on Thursday he was ‘ready to follow in his father’s footsteps’ as he rallied his forces in the Panjshir valley.

Reports claim some of the fighters joining the resistance are members of the SAS-trained Afghan special forces, believed to be the best the Afghan military has to offer.

They continued: 

We have local people as well. It is not ordinary resistance. It is the resistance of thousands of trained forces who are familiar with every inch of the soil and who has excellent experience in fighting the terrorists for the past 20 years.

I am not going to die before destroying Taliban. We will fight till the last bullet.

He commented: ‘Panjshir stands strong against anyone who wants to enslave people. I cannot say that the Taliban have won the war. No, it was just Dr Ashraf Ghani who gave up power after treacherous talks with the Taliban.’

Panjshir Valley is nestled on the edge of the Himalayas, making it a natural fortress against enemies. Despite the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country, the militants are yet to target the area where the resistance is gathering.