Amid claims by the Taliban that it has captured the resistance bastion of Panjshir, questions are being asked about the whereabouts of the commander of resistance forces – Ahmad Massoud.
Reports started doing rounds after heavy fighting between the Taliban and the National Resistance Front that Ahmad Massoud has fled, but simultaneously there were also reports that he is still in Panjshir with his forces.
A spokesperson of the National Resistance Force also tweeted about Massoud. Though the tweet does not mention his location, it does confirm that Massoud is safe.
Also, Ahmad Massoud in a statement posted on social media on the night of September 5 signed off with Panjshir as his location. Meanwhile, there are reports that ‘caretaker President’ Amrullah Saleh is safe and has been shifted to an undisclosed location after Taliban choppers attacked his house twice during its Panjshir offensive.
Earlier, there were reports that the former vice-president had fled to Tajikistan as fighting between the two sides increased in the valley, but on September 3 Saleh posted a video saying that the reports are false and he is in Panjshir.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid Monday claimed that he had been told that Ahmad Massoud, who leads the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), and former vice president Amrullah Saleh have escaped to neighbouring Tajikistan.