DNA Explainer: 'Valley of five lions' where even the Taliban dread to enter

In the last couple of days, the world has witnessed the fear of the Taliban militants on the innocent people of Afghanistan. There is mayhem everywhere and people are fleeing the country in a bid to escape the atrocities of the militant group which has taken over Afghanistan by force.

However, amid all this turmoil, a small place in Afghanistan draws our attention because unlike the rest of the country here there is no chaos, no one is fleeing, no one is forced to hide or be afraid of knocking at the door. This place is called the Panjshir Valley, the bastion of the Northern Alliance.

The importance along with curiosity around this place emerges from the fact that it is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan which is not occupied by the Taliban and has never been under their control. The mighty Soviet Union also could not capture this place by force. During the 70s and 80s, the Soviets tried but could not cross Panjshir Valley.

Every attempt to capture Panjshir has been unsuccessful. Even when America was bombing Afghanistan, Panjshir remained untouched by it. How much the people of Panjshir are passionate to save their land can very well be depicted from a New York Times report that quoted a local resident saying, "We will fight, not surrender. We will never kneel. The people of Panjshir will never surrender to terrorists. We will embrace death before that happens."

As the name suggests, Panjshir Valley also called 'Panjsher' means 'Valley of five lions'. Located 150 km north of Kabul, the Panjshir River flows through this valley. It is also close to the Hindukush mountains. Here we try to analyse from where Panjshir gets the power to take on the Taliban and what makes the Panjshir Valley such difficult terrain. 

Shers of Panjshir Valley

Among the very few who dared to stand up against the Taliban is Amrullah Saleh, the former Vice President till Taliban took over, and Ahmad Massoud the son of 'Sher of Panjshir' Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Despite the Taliban's capture of Kabul, now the former Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh did not leave the country like former President Ashraf Ghani. He has made a base in Panjshir Valley. 

It was Ahmad Shah Massoud also known as the 'Sher of Panjshir' who laid the foundation of the Northern Alliance. During his lifetime, Masood had very close relations with Western countries.

The Taliban was so threatened by Ahmad Shah Massoud that a few days before the 9/11 attacks on the United States, an al-Qaeda fighter posing as a TV journalist killed him. 

When America attacked Afghanistan after 9/11, it took the help of the Northern Alliance. When the Taliban were ousted, the Northern Alliance disbanded and the parties supported the interim administration.

At present, the responsibility of protecting Panjshir rests with Ahmad Shah Massoud's son Ahmad Massoud. Panjshir Valley is the only place from where any movement against the Taliban can begin.

Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group the Tajiks mostly live in Panjshir Valley. The Tajiks are actually the second-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, accounting for 25-30% of the country's population. 

People of the Hazara community believed to be the descendants of Genghis Khan also live here. People from Nuristani, Pashai communities also live here.

Challenges before Panjshir Valley

The biggest concern is that the Taliban will put up guards around Panjshir and stop the supply of food and essentials, hence international community help is needed.

However, as per an official report, Panjshir Valley has enough food and medical supplies to last till the next winter season.

In the report, the officials did not specify the total number of fighters in Panjshir, but according to an estimate, there are about 6000 fighters there.

The Tajik fighters need bigger weapons to fight the Taliban militants which the Ashraf Ghani administration never provided them.

Speciality of Panjshir Valley

This Valley can be transformed into a big hub for emerald mining. In the medieval period, Panjshir was famous for silver mining.

Till 1985, crystals up to 190 carats have been found there. It is said that the quality of the crystals found here is like the best crystals found in the Muzo mines of Colombia.

Under the soil of Panjshir, there is a huge stock of emeralds that has not been touched yet. If mining infrastructure is ready here, then the area will develop very fast.

Due to the efforts of America in Afghanistan, there have been some development works here like modern roads have been built.

A new radio tower has been installed so that the people of the valley can listen to the radio channels operating from Kabul. However, there is a dearth of basic facilities here.

Since there was no bloody conflict, no disaster in this valley, for this reason, it could not even get help under American humanitarian programs.

Even today 512 villages of the seven-districted province do not have electricity and water supply in Panjshir Valley. People run the generator for a few hours every day.