Panjshir/Kabul, March: Global terrorist’s groups including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISKP) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) have reportedly concentrated in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley following reported Pakistani military airstrikes, according to statements by former Afghan officials, resistance figures and a former CIA officer. However, no official confirmation has come from Pakistan’s officials about these air strikes that are largely reported in Afghan’s Farsi speaking media.
Former Afghan First Vice President Amrullah Saleh said the scale of Taliban deployment in Panjshir raised serious questions about the group’s priorities. In a message posted on X, Saleh wrote:
“Why are there more Taliban forces in the Panjshir Valley than along the entire Afghan side of the Durand Line? The Durand Line stretches 2,611 km, while Panjshir is only 138 km long. Can Taliban apologists and Khalilzad cronies explain this?”
Saleh, who also previously served as acting interior minister and head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), is currently a leading figure of the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF).
Separately, Sarah Adams, a former CIA officer, author and television host, said that militant elements had regrouped in Panjshir after coming under attack. In a post on X, Adams stated:
“It no longer became a rumor that the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and IMU have massively expanded inside Panjshir after the Pakistan Military bombed the shit out of them there yesterday.
But Saleh is incredibly valid here, it was the brave men of Panjshir who were our greatest allies the day after 9/11 and they have been so completely betrayed in the Doha Deal, which may be the worst deal with terrorists the U.S. government has ever made.
What is most confusing is who in the White House is mandating that we uphold the Doha Deal instead of make it null and void?”
Adams has previously claimed that U.S. policies and funding decisions indirectly benefited the Taliban, allegations that remain disputed by U.S. officials.
Reported Strikes in Panjshir
According to multiple reports cited by anti-Taliban sources, airstrikes were carried out during the night of March 1 into March 2 against the Taliban’s Special Brigade Central Command Headquarters in Panjshir Province. The strikes have been attributed to the Pakistani military, though no official confirmation or denial has been issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence or Ministry of Information.
Available information indicates that the Special Brigade operates under the direct authority of Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and has been involved in ground operations against anti-Taliban groups, including the National Resistance Front (NRF) and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF). The unit is also reported to play a role in exerting pressure along Afghanistan’s northern frontier bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The brigade is reportedly commanded by Maulvi Hamidullah Musafer, described by resistance sources as a close and trusted military loyalist of Akhundzada. The unit is said to be heavily staffed by fighters from southwestern Afghanistan, particularly Helmand Province, along with operatives linked to al-Qaeda, ISKP and IMU. Fighters from the southwest are widely viewed as more ideologically aligned with Akhundzada, according to these sources.
While full casualty figures remain unclear, resistance-linked sources confirmed that Taliban fighters were killed in the strikes. Three fatalities have been independently verified, all originating from Musa Qala District in Helmand Province: Hikmatullah Talha, son of Maulvi Habibullah; Qari Rohullah, son of Haji Sultan Alizai, identified as a known opium smuggler in the district; and Qari Naveed Ahmad Haqqyar, son of Haji Abdullah.
Regional and Political Implications
Anti-Taliban circles have claimed that extremist factions, described by Pakistan as Khawarij, have exposed their true nature to Islamabad after decades of engagement. Resistance figures argue that dynamics on the ground are now shifting.
In interviews and messages shared with European, including French, media outlets, Northern resistance representatives have said Pakistan’s policy toward Afghanistan has evolved into a multi-track strategy. According to these accounts, Islamabad is now linking trade and economic engagement with security and political conditions, maintaining border closures that have increased Taliban dependence on supply routes through northern Afghanistan.
The same sources say that Pakistan has established effective control over Afghan airspace and is conducting selective air operations, while also consolidating domestic political support for such actions. They believe Islamabad is seeking international backing for its counterterrorism campaign and has begun consultations with anti-Taliban forces on potential post-Taliban political arrangements.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban government except Russia since it returned to power in August 2021, and Afghanistan continues to face international isolation amid concerns over human rights, governance and security.
Pakistan has not publicly commented on the specific claims regarding airstrikes in Panjshir.
