KABUL (Tolo News): Local residents in Panjsir province, the only province that has not fallen to the Taliban, say that the Taliban has cut telecommunication networks in the province. Panjshir residents say that the lack of phone and internet networks is causing serious challenges.
“They have cut off telecommunication services in Panjshir for the last two days. Panjshir people are facing challenges in this regard and cannot get in touch with their relatives living in other parts of the country,” said Gul Haidar, a Panjshir resident. Mustafa, a Kabul resident, says that his relatives and friends live in Panjshir but he cannot contact them. “All my relatives and friends are in Panjshir. Unfortunately, on one hand the road to Panjshir is closed and on the other hand the communication networks are not working,” he said.
Panjshir residents added that the Taliban has closed roads and other routes leading to Panjshir valley and that food prices have skyrocketed in the province. “They (Taliban) claim that 80 percent of Panjshir’s problem has been solved and the people have no fight with us. But they have closed the road for the people,” said Jumadin, a Panjshir resident. The Taliban has yet to comment.
Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, leads the resistance against the Taliban in Panjshir. So far both sides have insisted on solving the problem via dialogue, and in the past two weeks neither side has attacked the other. However, the talks have so far led to no tangible outcome.
Sources in Pansjhir province claimed that the Taliban breached the agreement and had launched attacks on the resistance forces of this province. They claimed that the attacks which were conducted in different locations were repelled and the Taliban fighters retreated but the latter has not commented on the issue yet. In the meantime, people in Panjshir province complain against the absence of telephonic services.
They say that the Taliban has blocked telecommunication services which have subjected them to bigger problems. On the other hand, the Taliban have also blocked all the ways to Panjshir province which has skyrocketed the prices in the defiant valley. People in Pajshir province are asking the Taliban to stop what they call cruelty and open the ways to the province.
Panjshir province, 120 kilometers to the northeast of Kabul is the only province that is not under the Taliban’s control and the so-called anti-Taliban resistance2 led by Ahamd Masoud is claiming to be fighting the Taliban. The son of slain Ahamd Shah Masoud had said that he is willing to negotiate with the Taliban but had warned of resistance in case the negotiations fail. Taliban and the leaders of Panjshir province had a meeting in Parwan province which has not concluded in any final result.
