On 13 September 2022, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed 40 resistance fighters had been killed and 101 captured as part of a “large-scale clearance operation” conducted in the Rukha, Dara and Afshar districts of Panjshir province. No further details were given on the nature or circumstances of the 40 deaths.

The National Resistance Front (NRF) – Afghanistan’s most prominent resistance group – claimed that the Taliban was exaggerating the number of fighters killed. Ali Nazary, head of NRF’s foreign relations, told the AFP news agency that “a small group” of NRF forces had been captured and killed by the Taliban.

Around this time, footage began to surface online showing Taliban fighters allegedly executing resistance fighters, alongside further footage and images indicating extrajudicial executions. On 14 September 2022, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that it was “gravely concerned” by the latest allegations of “serious human rights violations” in Panjshir. (CONTINUA)