Analysis: Fall of Panjshir is crushing blow to hopes of a fightback
The fall of the Panjshir Valley to the Taliban is hugely significant not just because it gives the Taliban full control of Afghanistan territory, writes international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn.
It is also a crushing symbolic blow to hopes of a fightback against the Taliban, at least for now.
When Taliban enemies rallied there for a last stand it was for good reason.
The valley is well protected geographically and was the birthplace of the hero of Afghan resistance against the Soviets, Ahmed Shah Massoud who made it the base of his defiance of Russian occupation.
After the fall of Kabul, Massoud's son fled there to rally resistance against the Taliban. Remnants of the routed Afghan army and other militia answered his call and hoped to launch a fightback.
For a quarter of a century the Taliban has been unable to make inroads into the Panjshir Valley until now.
Buoyed by the momentum of their victories across the country, bolstered by newly acquired US supplied military hardware, they penetrated its natural defences.
It was only a matter of time before the resistance would crumble and break but it has come quicker than some expected like the Taliban's takeover of the rest of Afghanistan.
The Taliban is now in control of the whole country. It must now prove it can govern and maintain control or risk Afghanistan sliding back into civil war and chaos allowing its enemies to regain a foothold.
But for now its enemies have lost their last holdout and are defeated, captured or scattered. And the west must decide how best to deal with the new lords of Afghanistan.
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2021-09-06 09:56:15Z
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