Taliban officials on Monday denied claims that the group is detaining and torturing civilians in Panjshir valley and reiterated that the northern province is secure.

The Taliban’s comments come as a commander of the resistance front, Saleh Mohammad Registani, said that the Taliban is arresting civilians and torturing them in a prison in Kapisa province.

In videos sent to the media, resistance front members claimed to have maintained a presence in Panjshir province. The videos depicted occasional conflicts between the two sides.

Saleh Mohammad Registani: “They are searching houses, arresting innocent people, carrying them to a prison in Kapisa. They kill innocent people and do not allow their relatives to bury the bodies.”

In the meantime, several Panjshir residents claimed that the Taliban is using civilian houses as fighting positions.

Asadullah Wahdat, a Panjshir resident, said: “We ask the Islamic Emirate forces to evacuate residential areas and go where there are military forces of the former government.”

Safora Amiri, another Panjshir resident, said: “The areas are full of military forces. The Taliban are using people’s houses, this has caused civilians to evacuate their homes.”

However, a member of the Cultural Commission at the Ministry of Culture and Information denied the claims. Ahmadullah Wasiq said: “Panjshir is fully secure now. There is no fighting. The enemy [resistance front forces ] is not active.”

Although there were recent reports about resuming negotiations between the two sides, a member of the resistance group said that the negotiations have stopped since the beginning of the fighting.