Afghan journalist Abdul Haq Omari posted a video clip on social media showing a helicopter dropping aircraft to militants, commenting: “The war has reached Afghanistan, the Taliban are supplying air to parts of Panjshir.”

In the middle of last month, civilians fled the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan en masse, fleeing fighting between the Taliban and the armed opposition National Resistance Front. The National Resistance Front in Afghanistan, led by Ahmed Massoud, son of historical leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, announced on May 7 that it had launched a major offensive against the Taliban in several northern Afghan provinces, including Panjshir province (80km north of Kabul).

Clashes broke out between the National Resistance Front and the Taliban, each talking about killing dozens on the other side, an outcome that cannot be confirmed by an independent source in this hard-to-reach valley.