The Taliban has sent hundreds of its fighters to the Panjshir Valley, one of the few parts of Afghanistan not yet controlled by the group.

Panjshir Valley

• Located 150 km north of Kabul, the Valley is near the Hindu Kush Mountain range.
• It’s divided by the Panjshir river and ringed by the Panjshir mountains in the north and the Kuhestan mountains in the south.
• The mountain tops are covered by snow throughout the year.
• This difficult terrain makes the Valley a nightmare for invaders.

Why is it significant?

• The Valley has repeatedly played a decisive role in Afghanistan’s military history, as its geographical position almost completely closes it off from the rest of the country.
• The only access point to the region is through a narrow passage created by the Panjshir River, which can be easily defended militarily.
• Famed for its natural defenses, the region tucked into the Hindu Kush mountains never fell to the Taliban during the civil war of the 1990s, nor was it conquered by the Soviets a decade earlier.
• Panjshir Valley was among the safest regions in the country during the time of the NATO-backed government from 2001 to 2021.
• The valley is also known for its emeralds, which were used in the past to finance the resistance movements against those in power.

Answer this PYQ:

Consider the following pairs

Towns: Country in news        

1. Aleppo: Syria
2. Kirkuk: Yemen
3. Mosul: Palestine
4. Mazar-i-sharif: Afghanistan

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (CSP 2018)

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 1 and 4

(c) 2 and 3

(d) 3 and 4

 

Post your answers here.

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