The Taliban fighters who killed Amrullah Saleh’s brother in Panjhsir on Thursday did not allow Amrullah Saleh’s family members to bury the body, a family member told Reuters. They kept saying that his body should rot, Ebadullah Saleh told the news agency in a text message. The report of the death of Amrullah Saleh’s brother Rohullah Azizi came on Friday amid reports of massive escalation between the Taliban and the Northern Resistance Front in Panjshir. It is believed that Amrullah Saleh’s elder brother was leaving Panjshir as many Panjshir residents have been allowed by both the Resistance Front and the Taliban to leave the area as the clashes are to be escalated in the next few days. But Taliban leaders identified Rohullah as Amrullah Saleh’s brother and shot him dead. 

“They executed my uncle,” Ebadullah Saleh said adding, “They killed him yesterday and would not let us bury him. They kept saying his body should rot.”

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The whereabouts of Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud are not yet known. A photo of a Taliban fighter posing with guns in front of books has been floated on social media, claiming that this is the same place from where Amrullah Saleh recently issued a video statement claiming that he was still in Panjshir.

As the Resistance Front is resolute to announce their parallel government, the ousted Afghan government’s ambassador to Tajikistan said on Wednesday that both Massoud and Amrullah Saleh are in Panjshir and have not fled to Tajikistan, contrary to the claims made by the Taliban.

“Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh have not fled to Tajikistan. The news that Ahmad Massoud has left Panjshir is not true; he is inside Afghanistan. I am in constant contact with Amrullah Saleh, who is currently in Panjshir and running the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s government,” Zahir Aghbar, envoy to Dushanbe under the government of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said.

The Taliban have also claimed of recovering a huge amount of cash from Amrullah Saleh’s Kabul residence and alleged that the former vice president fled with the rest of the money to funnel them into the Resistance Front.

Pakistan has recently refuted allegations of extending support to the Taliban in Panjshir as Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said that such claims are preposterous and a “fake news network” created by India is spreading such allegations.

(With agency inputs)