Leader of Afghan holdout region says he is ready to talk with Taliban

FILE PHOTO: A truck with National Resistance Front markings is seen on a mountain top near Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan in this still image obtained from an undated video handout. NATIONAL RESISTANCE FRONT OF AFGHANISTAN HANDOUT/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - The leader of the Afghan opposition group resisting Taliban forces in the Panjshir valley north of Kabul said on Sunday he welcomed proposals from religious scholars for a negotiated settlement to end the fighting.

Ahmad Massoud, head of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRFA), made the announcement on the group's Facebook page. Earlier, Taliban forces said they had fought their way into the provincial capital of Panjshir after securing the surrounding districts.