Afghan resistance army headed by Sandhurst-trained 'lion cub' DENIES 'Taliban propaganda' it is negotiating surrender after the militants boasted of seizing three districts and closing in on Panjshir

The resistance army battling back against the Taliban today issued a message of defiance, saying claims that their surrender was being negotiated was 'propaganda'. 

Ex-Afghan soldiers - many trained by Western troops - have joined forces with local militia from a base in the Panjshir Valley, north-east of Kabul, and yesterday vowed that they are ready for 'sacrifice and martyrdom' to defeat the insurgents.

The group is fighting under the banner The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmad Massoud.

Sandhurst-trained Ahmad Massoud, 32, who also studied at King's College, London, is nicknamed 'Heir to the Lion' or 'Lion Cub' after his father, a famed Mujahideen commander known as the 'Lion of Panjshir' after the region that he ruled and defended. 

The Taliban claimed on Monday that they had retaken three districts north of Kabul capital seized the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control. 

They said they were negotiating with the rival forces to secure their surrender. 

However, Ali Maisam Nazary, the head of foreign relations for the NLF, rubbished the claim on Twitter, saying that 'no one is going to surrender the Panjshir and @AhmadMassoud01 will defend the valley with all he has.'

His statement came after Massoud wrote in the Washington Post last week: 'No matter what happens, my mujahideen fighters and I will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan freedom.'

The resistance army battling back against the Taliban today issued a message of defiance, saying claims that their surrender was being negotiated was 'propaganda'

Ex-Afghan soldiers - many trained by Western troops - have joined forces with local militia from a base in the Panjshir Valley, north-east of Kabul, and yesterday vowed that they are ready for 'sacrifice and martyrdom' to defeat the insurgents

On Sunday, armed guerrilla fighters - who have reportedly killed 30 enemy fighters and captured a dozen others - drove the Taliban from the Pul-e-Hesar, Dehe-Salah and Bano districts.  

As the Taliban vowed to up their campaign against the resistance, fighters were last night surrounding Panjshir, the last remaining Afghan stronghold, in preparation to attack should proposed peace talks fail.

Yesterday spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the Mail that if the talks collapse then the insurgents are 'ready to fight.' 'The enemy is under siege in Panjshir,' he said.

'At the same time talks are under way. If these fail we have enough forces and ready to fight. I hope this problem will be resolved soon.'

On the earlier clashes for control of areas of Baghlan, he added: 'There are no problems, it's cleaned up, our forces have full control of them.

The mountainous Panjshir Valley, known for its natural defences, has never been under Taliban control, partly thanks to Massoud's father.

The potential showdown loomed as a firefight outside Kabul's international airport killed an Afghan soldier early on Monday, highlighting the perils of evacuation efforts.

The group is fighting under the banner The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and is led by Sandhurst-trained Ahmad Massoud . Sandhurst-trained Ahmad Massoud, 32, who also studied at King's College, London, is nicknamed 'Heir to the Lion' or 'Lion Cub' after his father, a famed Mujahideen commander known as the 'Lion of Panjshir' after the region that he ruled and defended

The shooting came as the Taliban moved to shore up their position and eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month. 

The Taliban warned yesterday that any attempt by U.S. troops to delay their withdrawal to give people more time to flee would 'provoke a reaction.'

The Taliban said they retook three districts north of the capital seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.

Afghanistan's security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance, despite 20 years of Western training and assistance. 

Since then, tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country, fearing a return to the brutal rule the Taliban imposed the last time they ran Afghanistan. 

That has led to chaos at the airport in Kabul, the main route out of the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden has not ruled out extending the evacuation beyond Aug. 31, the date he set for completing the pullout of U.S. forces. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to press Biden for an extension.

But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News, said August 31 is a 'red line' and that extending the American presence would 'provoke a reaction.'

Gunfire broke out early Monday near an entrance to the airport, where at least seven Afghans died a day earlier in a panicked stampede of thousands of people.

People flee their homes and travel on Kandahar-Kabul highway, Afghanistan

Navy Capt. William Urban, a U.S. military spokesman, said an unknown assailant shot at Afghan security forces at the airport's northern gate, leading Afghan, U.S. and allied troops to open fire in response. 

He said an Afghan soldier was killed and several Afghans were wounded.

An Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it treated six patients with bullet wounds from the airport.

There was no comment from the Taliban, who in recent days have fired warning shots and lashed out with batons to try to control crowds swelling into the thousands outside the airport.

The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. 

At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday.

The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military and say there's no need for any Afghans to flee. 

They have pledged to bring peace and security after decades of war and say they won't seek revenge on those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government.

Addressing a conference of Muslim clerics, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged them to push back against Western 'propaganda' about the Taliban and said the U.S. was undermining their rule by sending planes and offering Afghans asylum.

But Mohammad Khalid, another Taliban official addressing the same gathering, struck a more ominous tone, saying 'history and Afghans will not forgive those who were trained in the U.S. and Europe and returned to kill their own people.'

He said foreign countries should not interfere in education, asking the clerics if they would 'tolerate a young girl sitting next to a boy at school.' 

He also praised the role of suicide bombers in forcing the U.S. to withdraw.

The divergent messages raised doubts as to whether the Taliban are fully united behind the more moderate image their leadership is projecting. 

On Sunday, armed guerrilla fighters - who have reportedly killed 30 enemy fighters and captured a dozen others - drove the Taliban from the Pul-e-Hesar, Dehe-Salah and Bano districts 

There have also been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies.

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Bild newspaper that the main obstacle to getting people out was the crowds outside the airport.

Asked about Taliban assurances of safe passage to the airport, she said: 'So far, I can say that what we need is being granted; the danger comes more from these uncontrollable crowds of people.'

As the airlift continues, the U.S. government asked for 18 aircraft from American commercial carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees to their final destinations after their initial evacuation.

Since August 14, the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of some 37,000 people on military and coalition flights. 

Massoud (pictured centre) wrote in the Washington Post last week: 'No matter what happens, my mujahideen fighters and I will defend Panjshir as the last bastion of Afghan freedom.' 

Those efforts are accelerating: In the 24 hours that ended early Monday, U.S. military flights ferried about 10,400 people to safety, an official said.

Tens of thousands of people - Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted in the war effort - are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles.

U.S. special operations forces retrieved 16 more American citizens from outside the airport early Monday, according to senior military officials in Afghanistan.

Rescue missions that go beyond the airport walls require the approval of a four-star officer and are handled on a case-by-case basis, said the American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing military operations publicly.

Meanwhile, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin ordered five men who were evacuated from Afghanistan placed under surveillance in France for possible links to the Taliban.

'France is human but it is also vigilant,' the minister tweeted Monday, along with a story by a French news agency quoting him about the suspicions.

Amid the evacuations, there are also concerns that a local affiliate of the Islamic State group might target the crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or fire missiles at U.S. aircraft. 

Military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff - both measures used to avoid missile attacks.

The Taliban and IS have different ideologies and have fought in recent years, but one concern about the Taliban's takeover is that they could again shelter extremist groups. 

The Taliban harbored al-Qaida while it orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, leading to the U.S. invasion in 2001. 

The Taliban now say they will not allow Afghanistan to be a base for attacks on other countries.