Raising Global Support, Anti-Taliban Leader Ahmad Massoud Is In Tajikistan

JAKARTA - The leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front opposing the Taliban Ahmad Massoud, is currently in Tajikistan, Spokesman, Deputy Provincial Government of Panjshir Kabir Wasik said Monday.

"Ahmad Massoud is currently in Tajikistan, but sometimes he visits Afghanistan to meet with resistance units on the territory of the country," Wasik told TASS as quoted November 2.

According to the spokesman, the leaders of the resistance front are trying to find support from various countries in fighting the Taliban.

"Massoud is trying to convince countries in the region and the entire global community to fight the Taliban. He travels to different states to attract attention (to the National Resistance Front) and gain support," said a spokesman for the Afghan resistance front.

Deputy Governor Panjshir pointed out that the national resistance forces maintain good relations with Tajikistan, which has provided substantial assistance to the Afghan people in the fight against the Taliban.

On September 23, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon spoke at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, calling for elections in Afghanistan, as well as the formation of a new government, including representatives of all ethnic groups, in particular, the Afghan Tajiks.

According to the president, declaring any government without considering the interests of the Afghan people could have disastrous consequences. President Rahmon also warned about the increasing threat of international terrorism in the country.

To note, the Taliban began a large-scale operation to control Afghanistan after the United States announced its intention to withdraw its troops in the spring. On August 15, Taliban fighters overran Kabul without encountering any resistance, with then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani later fleeing the country.

On September 6, the Taliban gained complete control of Afghanistan, and on September 7, the radicals announced a new interim government, which has not been recognized by any country.

Meanwhile, troops loyal to anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Massoud, son of anti-Soviet mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, have established themselves in the Panjshir valley, a mountainous area northwest of Kabul that fought the Taliban before 2001.