Wary of a guerrilla war, Taliban asks civilians to handover their weapons

New Delhi, Aug 18: The Taliban has asked all Afghan civilians to hand over the weapons, in a bid to defuse armed resistance, and consolidate its political hold.

Despite their dramatic takeover of Kabul, marking its return to power on Sunday, after two decades in the wilderness, the group is aware that it could be hit by irregular warfare, resulting from the ready availability of small arms with a faceless opposition.

Reuters is reporting that the group has asked all Afghan civilians on Wednesday to hand over their guns and ammunition to the Taliban's authorized members.

To prevent a guerrilla war from taking root, the Taliban has also declared a general amnesty on Tuesday for government workers.

"Those working in any part or department of the government should resume their duties with full satisfaction and continue their duties without any fear," a Taliban statement said.

At a Tuesday press conference, the Taliban also pledged media freedoms and women rights—all trigger points for a massive popular resistance, fired by ready access to small arms. The Taliban also said its leaders would act openly, instead of remaining in the shadows, the news agency reported.

"Slowly, gradually, the world will see all our leaders, there will be no shadow of secrecy," the news agency quoted a Taliban official as saying.

Despite its pre-emptive move, the Panjshir province, the crucible of anti-Taliban resistance in the past, under the iconic stewardship of the late Ahmed Shah Massood has already declared war against Afghanistan's new rulers.

Afghanistan's former first vice president Amrullah Saleh has surfaced in Panjshir valley. His picture with Ahmad Masood(Son of Ahmad Shah Masood) and other local leaders has already gone viral on social media.

As reported by the India Narrative earlier , Saleh has been asking the Afghan army to join the anti-Taliban resistance.

"All the troops should come to Panjshir and from there we will start the republican struggle," Saleh said in a twitter post. "I will never, ever and under no circumstances bow to d Talib terrorists. I will never betray d soul and legacy of my hero Ahmad Shah Masoud, the commander, the legend and the guide. I won't disappoint millions who listened to me. I will never be under one ceiling with the Taliban. NEVER."

Ahmad Massoud, has declared that he is leading the resistance against the Taliban. Saleh is the old comrade of the senior Massoud.

Two famous warlords, Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor, who have escaped to neighbouring Uzbekistan from the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, can also join the Panjshri crowd to create a critical mass of guerrilla resistance to the Taliban.

Analysts say that the budding resistance could get clandestine support from Iran, which is apparently not in favour of Taliban ‘s complete political dominance of Afghanistan.

A write up on the homepage of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran's official news agency, has taken note of calls for resistance from the Panjshir valley. IRNA quoted Abdol-Mohammad Taheri , a former diplomat posted in Kabul as saying in a webinar that the Taliban has yet to take over Panjshir Province in northeast Afghanistan

He also added that Charikar city, the capital of Parwan Province, near Kabul, had also not surrendered to the Taliban.

Another article that featured on the IRNA's homepage said it was necessary to garner international support for "popular mobilization forces" — a term usually reserved for irregular warfare forces, to restore the military balance in Afghanistan.