National Resistance Front of Afghanistan

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The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF),^[1][2][3] also known as the Panjshir resistance and the Second Resistance,^[4] is a military alliance of former Northern Alliance members and other anti-Taliban fighters who remain loyal to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The group has been known since August 2021 - during the 2021 Taliban offensive.

The group had de facto control over the Panjshir Valley, as of early September 2021; but on September 6, 2021, there was heavy fighting and many deaths on both sides; the Taliban took control of the house that has the governor's office in Bazarak;^[5] and the Taliban took control of most of the Panjshir province.^[6]

The leaders of the resistance group are the politicians Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh (the vice president in the government that lost power over most of Afghanistan in August 2021).^[7]

Massoud escaped to Tajikistan [sometime between September 6 and September 21]; Saleh escaped (by helicopter) a few days after Massoud; The two have not been seen in public, after their escape, said "The Intercept" on September 21; Its sources are "a senior U.S. intelligence official, a Pentagon consultant, and two former senior Afghan government officials".^[8]

The name second resistance follows the name of the "first resistance" - a fight between the Northern Alliance (and a few other groups) against the Taliban from 1993 to the early 2000s.

1. ↑ "The mujahideen resistance to the Taliban begins now. But we need help". Washington Post. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
2. ↑ "Afghan leader of Taliban resistance urges West to "supply us without delay"". Newsweek. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
3. ↑ "National Resistance Front Of Afghanistan | The Irish Times". www.irishtimes.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
4. ↑ "Analysis | Northern Afghanistan once kept out the Taliban. Why has it fallen so quickly this time?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-18."Taliban promises not to move to Panshir; Ahmad Massoud says he is ready to give his blood for his land | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus". asiaplustj.info. Retrieved 2021-08-19."Preparing for a Post-Departure Afghanistan: Changing political dynamics in the wake of the US troop withdrawal announcement". Afghanistan Analysts Network. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-08-19."He promised an "organized resistance" to Taliban rule. Now he wants U.S. help to lead the fight". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-19."Northern Afghanistan once kept out the Taliban. Why has it fallen so quickly this time?". Washington Post.
5. ↑ Shah, Saeed (6 September 2021). "Taliban Claim to Have Conquered Last Pocket of Resistance in Afghanistan". Wall Street Journal.
6. ↑ Kazmin, Amy; Findlay, Stephanie; Bokhari, Farhan (September 6, 2021). "Taliban says it has captured last Afghan region of resistance". Financial Times. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
7. ↑ "'Panjshir stands strong': Afghanistan's last holdout against the Taliban". The Guardian. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
8. ↑ Matthew Cole; Ken Klippenstein (21 September 2021). "With no U.S. support, leaders of Afghan resistance flee the country". The Intercept.