Fighters vowing to resist Taliban rule in Afghanistan are preparing for battle in the country's last area not fully controlled by the Islamist group. The Panjshir Valley is renowned as a bastion of resistance in the Hindu Kush mountains -- an area that has fought off occupation by a variety of invaders for more than a century. The province is mostly inhabited by ethnic Tajiks, while the Taliban are predominantly Pashtuns.
Anti-Taliban fighters in the valley include members of local militias and former members of Afghanistan's security forces. They are part of the National Resistance Front (NRF), led by Ahmad Masud, son of Ahmad Shah Masud, the legendary commander who fought against Soviet and Taliban rule in the 1980s and 1990s.
Anti-Taliban fighters in the valley include members of local militias and former members of Afghanistan's security forces. They are part of the National Resistance Front (NRF), led by Ahmad Masud, son of Ahmad Shah Masud, the legendary commander who fought against Soviet and Taliban rule in the 1980s and 1990s.
