Hundreds dead as ‘Lions of Panjshir’ hold line against Taliban assault with freedom fighters vowing to never surrender

HUNDREDS of fighters are reported to have died in bloody battles between the "Lion of Panjshir" resistance fighters and the Taliban as the terrorists attacked last free stronghold in Afghanistan.

Heavy fighting has been reported around the Panjshir Valley - an area just 80 miles north of Kabul that is regarded as an impenetrable natural fortress.

Casualty numbers remain uncertain on both sides - but it has been reported that the death toll is now in the hundreds as the bloodshed continues.

Resistance forces - officially titled the National Resistance Front (NRF) - have vowed to never surrender and fight to the last man as the Taliban attempt to take control of the last free bastion in Afghanistan.

Taliban officials had claimed the area had fallen - sparking wild celebrations in Kabul that left 17 people dead as fighters stupidly fired their guns into the air.

However, resistance sources have denied this and the valley is understood to still be standing against the Taliban.

The stronghold - which is protected by mountains - is said to be hanging in the balance.

Around 200,000 people live in the region which has never been conquered before - with fighters holding out in the area beating back in the Soviets in the 80s and the Taliban in the 90s.

Resistance fighters in Panjshir are understood to be local tribesmen who are fighting alongside former Afghan soldiers and police, including Western-trained commandos and special forces.

And the force has stockpiled military equipment including tanks, helicopters, artillery guns and trucks as they prepare for a potentially long siege.

However, they are facing a Taliban who is armed with a massive multi-billion dollar arsenal of US weapons as the terrorists seized hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment that had been left behind.

The resistance are known as the "Lions of Panjshir" as they are in part led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of a legendary freedom fighter known as "The Lion" of defended the valley in the 80s and 90s.

The narrow valley is still littered with the remnants of armoured vehicles - echoes of the unsuccessful attacks launched by the Russians.

And along with them is Amrullah Saleh, the former vice president of Afghanistan, who declared himself the country's rightful leader as decreed by the constitution.