A poetry gathering (Mushaira) was held in the Shah-i-Kot Valley, Rohani Baba district of Paktia province, attended by officials of the Islamic Emirate, poets, and cultural figures.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate at this event said that the Shah-i-Kot Valley was the first stronghold for the beginning of the struggle against the former Soviet forces and NATO.

Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said: "There was a difference between the army of the disbelievers, who believed in materialism and technology, and the army equipped with the weapon of faith and truth. Our forces strengthened their position against that mighty power and astonished arrogant America."

Aziz Rahman Mansoor, Deputy Minister of Hajj and Islamic Affairs, said: "When, under the leadership of America, 52 or 58 countries attacked our dear country again, the first step recorded in history began right here from Shah-i-Kot."

Several poets at this gathering recited their epic poems about the beginning of the struggle against foreign forces from Shah-i-Kot Valley.

"When ignorance prevails, power and wealth speak, trust disappears, and people sell their silence," said Ekramuddin Maftoon, a poet.

"The arrival of NATO after the Russians was an insult, but now this insult has ended in Afghanistan," said Israrullah Hassanzai, another poet.

This poetry gathering is being held in the Shah-i-Kot Valley in the Rohani Baba district of Paktia province, three years after the last American soldier left Afghanistan on this day.