Afghanistan crisis: "Hundreds" headed to take over Panjshir valley, says Taliban

The spokesman said that they are ready for peaceful talks with the group but also warned that their forces are ready to fight if the need arises.

The Taliban said on Sunday that "hundreds" of its fighters are heading to the Panjshir Valley to take control of it as the local state officials had denied handing it over to the group peacefully. Panjshir valley, which is in the northern region of Afghanistan, near the Hindu Kush mountain range, is one of the few parts left in the country that has not been taken over by the group yet. 

After the Taliban took over Kabul unopposed on August 15, some ex-government troops gathered in the Panjshir valley and since then, instances of resistance started showing in a few areas of the war-torn country. Pul-e-Hisar, Deh Salah and Banu districts of Baghlan were recaptured by the resistance forces.

The Taliban group tweeted on its Arabic Twitter account, "Hundreds of Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are heading towards the state of Panjshir to control it, after local state officials refused to hand it over peacefully."

Meanwhile, Ahmad Massoud has sought to assemble a force of around 9,000 people in Panjshir to counter the terrorists, the spokesman, Ali Maisam Nazary, told AFP. Ahmad Massoud is the son of legendary mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Al-Qaeda two days before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The spokesman said that they are ready for peaceful talks with the group but also warned that their forces are ready to fight if the need arises.