Taliban control of north Afghanistan is propaganda, former US general charges

© Provided by Washington Examiner

Celebratory gunfire erupted over the skies of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday amid reports that the Taliban had finally seized complete control of the country by defeating resistance in the Panjshir Valley.

One Taliban commander told Reuters: "By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of the entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have defeated, and Panjshir is now under our command.”

The scenes on Friday night, however, as well as the bold proclamations, are nothing more than a propaganda campaign concocted by the Taliban to demoralize the population and exert more control, a retired general told the Washington Examiner.

“The Taliban are very savvy. They know how to do this. They know how to use propaganda directed at us,” said Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, who commanded Special Forces units during 10 tours of Afghanistan. “They have been beating us at propaganda since day one.”

Bolduc said he is in regular communication with former members of his team in Afghanistan, along with members of the Afghan equivalents of the CIA and the Green Berets.

Panjshir, a region some 90 miles north of Kabul, has been the last real holdout against the Taliban's swift takeover of the rest of the country, which culminated in their rapid mid-August seizure of the capital. Former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who has declared himself the head of the resistance, is in Panjshir.

AFGHAN REFUGEES AT ARMY BASE LACK COMPLETE VETTING, CAN LEAVE AT ANY TIME

Saleh stated in a BBC video Friday that Panjshir has been under attack but has not fallen and labeled anything to the contrary as fake news.

“The resistance is not going to surrender, not going to bow to terrorism. I want to assure you in this video,” he said.

Bolduc called on the U.S. government to step up and help the resistance fighters with a new slate of generals that does not include Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, and U.S. Central Command leader Kenneth McKenzie.

He said American troops do not need to invade the country, but rather support the resistance and recover the seized vehicles.

“We can’t let what they have done stand. We have to go back in there and do it the right way and not take over the country,” Bolduc said. “We need to neutralize the Taliban and ISIS and let the Afghans govern the way that is most effective for them — and it’s not the Western way.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Intense fighting began on Thursday as the National Resistance Front said they held their ground and killed 40 Taliban members. Panjshir is a mountainous region with caves, where local fighters use geography to their advantage.

“It’s the ideal place where they can hold,” Bolduc said. “Panjshir has always been used as a fallback stronghold. They beat the Russians there and the Taliban.”

 

Washington Examiner Videos

Taliban control of north Afghanistan is propaganda, former US general charges (msn.com)