| Panjsher Valley | |
|---|---|
 A view ofAfghanistan's Panjshir Valley | |
 Map of Afghanistan withPanjshir highlighted | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 35°16′N69°28′E / 35.267°N 69.467°E /35.267; 69.467 |
ThePanjshir Valley (Dari:درهٔ پنجشير,Dara-i-Panjsher, literally "Valley of the Five Lions"), also spelledPanjsher, is a valley in northeasternAfghanistan, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north ofKabul, near theHindu Kush mountain range.[1] It is divided by thePanjshir River. The valley is home to more than 100,000 people, including Afghanistan's largest concentration of ethnicTajiks as of 1997.[2] In April 2004, it became the heart of the newPanjshir Province, having previously been part ofParwan Province.[3] Politically, this province has been considered the start point of Afghanistan's Jihad period against the Soviets. This province is also the birthplace of Afghanistan's national hero,Ahmad Shah Massoud.[4]
Human activity in Panjshir can be dated to theBronze Age.The relics from underground archaeological sites had been discovered during President Daoud Khan's presidency. The indigenous people of the valley are believed to be the most ancient living inhabitants in the country although local Tajiks believe their ancestors came to Panjshir around 700 years ago fromSamarkand.[5]
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In 1975, the valley was the site ofan uprising by Panjshir's residents under the leadership ofAhmad Shah Massoud against thegovernment ofDaoud Khan.[6]
It was the site of thePanjshir offensives fought by theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan and theSoviets against themujahideen during theSoviet–Afghan War from 1980 to 1985, when local commanderAhmad Shah Massoud successfully defended the valley.
The valley again witnessed renewed fighting during theAfghan Civil War of 1996–2001 between theTaliban and theNorthern Alliance under the command of Massoud, where he again defended it from being overrun by the Taliban.[7] The Panjshir Valley was considered one of Afghanistan's safest regions during the era of theISAF-backed government[8] and in late August 2021, warlords tried to make the valley a bastion ofresistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan.[9][10] The Taliban announced that hundreds of fighters were headed towards the valley on 22 August 2021.
Former Vice PresidentAmrullah Saleh andAhmad Massoud, son of former anti-Soviet Mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, have vowed to resist the Taliban from Panjshir, which repelled both Soviet forces and the Taliban in the 1980s and 1990s.[11] The Alliance has claimed to "Retake Districts in Northeast Afghanistan"[12] on 22 August led by former military, special forces, police and more. The Biden administration has not publicly answered the plea made byAhmad Massoud in a op-ed inThe Washington Post for help restocking the anti-Taliban forces with supplies.[13] On 25 August 2021, it was revealed that a delegation ofPanjshir resistance forces in the nearbyParwan city ofCharikar were holding talks with a Taliban delegation and that the Taliban by this point ceased blocking routes to the Panjshir Valley "after one or a maximum of two days."[14] On 6 September 2021, Taliban claims to have overtaken the insurgents holding out in Panjshir Valley and killed Fahim Dashty, spokesperson of Ahmad Massoud's resistance front[15][16] However, Resistance fighters were still confirmed to be present in the Panjshir Valley.[17][18]
On 9 September 2021, Ali Maisam Nazary, the Resistance's foreign relations head, denied reports of full Taliban control of the Panjshir province, stating that 60% was still underNational Resistance Front control.[19] Claims of full Taliban control were further refuted when reporters from Iran'sTasnim News Agency were able to visit the Valley on 11 September and interview not only a Taliban fighter but also a local NRF fighter stationed in the area.[20] Despite Taliban claims of calm in the Valley, Tasnim News Agency also reported that some local residents were fleeing in anticipation of future military clashes.[20] In an interview which was published on 21 September 2021,Ahmad Wali Massoud toldTRT World journalist Samuel Ramani that the Resistance still controls much of the Valley and stated that the Taliban, which he described as "leaderless," had a weaker hold than it appeared.[21]
The Panjshir Valley has the potential to become a major centre ofemerald mining. As early as the 1st century AD,Pliny the Elder commented on gemstones from the region.[22] In theMiddle Ages, Panjshir was famed for itssilver mining and theSaffarids andSamanids minted their coins there.[23] As of 1985, emeralds upwards of 190 carats (38 g) had been found in Panjshir, reported to rival in quality the finest crystals of theMuzo mine in Colombia.[22] Americanreconstruction efforts in Afghanistan sparked a development boom in the valley with the construction of new modern roads and a new radio tower that allows valley residents to pick up radio signals from the Afghan capital,Kabul.[24] The valley has the potential of being an energy hub for Afghanistan, through construction of several hydroelectric dams. Rewat locality could be the site of the first dam. The valley could make the capital region power self-reliant.
The Panjshir Valley has always been an important highway. Nearly 100 kilometres (62 mi) long, it leads to two passes over the Hindu Kush – theKhawak Pass (3,848 m) leading to Afghanistan's northern plains, and theAnjuman Pass (4,430 m) that crosses intoBadakhshan – used by the armies ofAlexander the Great andTimur.
A 10-turbine wind farm was built in Panjshir Valley in April 2008.[25]
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