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CDC study: Unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die of Covid-19

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As the Biden administration <a href="https://www.vox.com/22666625/biden-vaccine-mandate-covid-19-supreme-court-osha-constitution-legal">steps up its efforts</a> to get shots in arms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037e1.htm?s_cid=mm7037e1_w">new study</a> Friday that underscores the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines against serious illness or death.
The study, which examined hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 over a period of more than three months, found that unvaccinated people are more than 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than those who have been vaccinated, and 11 times more likely to die of the virus, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/09/10/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-55/">according to CDC director Rochelle Walensky</a>.
The study — as well as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037e3.htm?s_cid=mm7037e3_w">two</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037e2.htm?s_cid=mm7037e2_w">others</a> also released Friday by the CDC — is still an early release, meaning that there could be changes in the final version. But the findings nonetheless provide some clarity about the state of the pandemic as the delta variant makes its mark on communities throughout the country.
As the delta variant <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">became more widespread in the US</a> over the course of the summer, the study also found that protection against initial infections fell slightly — but the vaccine’s “effectiveness against hospitalization and death showed barely any decline during the entire period,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/09/10/moderna-most-effective-covid-vaccine-studies/">according to the Washington Post</a>.
<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037e2.htm?s_cid=mm7037e2_w">Another of the studies</a> confirmed that effectiveness remains high across the board. The three vaccines available in the US — made by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Johnson & Johnson — are 86 percent effective at preventing hospitalization from Covid-19, and 82 percent effective at preventing visits to the emergency room or urgent care because of the virus, according to the study’s findings. Researchers also found that Moderna is the most effective at preventing hospitalizations, at 95 percent, with the Johnson & Johnson shot providing about 60 percent protection against hospitalizations.
Despite the remarkable effectiveness of the Covid vaccines, however, the virus continues to run rampant in the US as the country struggles with <a href="https://twitter.com/mcpli/status/1436751573095440388?s=20">resistance to the vaccine</a>.
Americans are still lagging behind other wealthy countries in vaccine uptake, and only 52.76 percent of eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/11/world/covid-delta-variant-vaccine#us-vaccination-rate-low">according to the New York Times</a>. Only about 700,000 vaccine doses are being administered each day in the US — about 300,000 fewer than Japan’s vaccination program is currently reporting, despite Japan’s smaller population.
Currently, the US is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">averaging</a> nearly 146,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, compared to less than 12,000 new cases per day at points in June this year. At the pandemic’s peak this winter, the country was reporting more than 250,000 cases per day on average.
But a new movement toward stricter vaccine requirements coincides with a seven percent decrease in daily reported Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">the New York Times</a>. Testing is also up 21 percent over the same period, with an average of more than 1.6 million tests being administered per day.
Deaths, however — which tend to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/7/6/21314472/covid-19-coronavirus-us-cases-deaths-trends-wtf">lag spikes in new cases</a> — are currently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html">increasing</a> in the US. As of Friday, the country was averaging more than 1,600 deaths per day from the virus.
While this last statistic is grim, however, there are signs that the delta-fueled surge in cases over the summer is at least leveling off as more people get vaccinated.
Cases in Mississippi, where the virus has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-cbc4d9aa87d4f74991f9bea959bf0939">strained hospital capacity</a> to beyond its limits, are down by a third over the past two weeks. In Tennessee, which currently has the most cases per capita of any state, the <a href="https://www.tn.gov/health/news/2021/8/6/tennesseans-respond%E2%80%94covid-19-vaccinations-up-47%E2%80%94to-start-national-immunization-month.html">vaccination rate</a> increased by 47 percent from July 12 to August 2, and the rate at which infections are increasing in the state has started to slow.
As the US continues to struggle with Covid-19, President Joe Biden on Thursday <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/09/us/politics/biden-mandates-vaccines.html">announced</a> that all businesses with more than 100 employees must require either vaccination or weekly Covid-19 testing.
“Many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are still not vaccinated, even though the vaccine is safe, effective, and free,” <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/09/09/remarks-by-president-biden-on-fighting-the-covid-19-pandemic-3/">Biden said</a> at a press conference on Thursday, decrying what he referred to as the “pandemic politics” of Republican leaders who have downplayed Covid-19, spread disinformation, and fought against measures like inoculation and mask-wearing.
“We cannot allow these actions to stand in the way of protecting the large majority of Americans who have done their part and want to get back to life as normal,” Biden said.
Corporate America is also warming to vaccine mandates, with major companies like United Airlines and Tyson Foods implementing vaccine requirements for their workers. United set a deadline of September 27 for all of its US-based employees to be vaccinated, and it says that more than half of its previously unvaccinated employees have now been vaccinated, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/09/1035475948/unvaccinated-united-airlines-employees-to-be-put-on-temporary-leave">NPR</a>.
Despite the significant protection afforded by vaccines, however, not everyone is eligible yet. The Food and Drug Administration has yet to authorize a Covid-19 vaccine for children younger than 12, and pediatric Covid-19 cases are surging as children head back to in-person schooling — particularly in states that have rebuffed mask mandates.
<a href="https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/news/2021-2022-school-year-calendar">New York City public schools</a>, the largest school system in the country, will test its own Covid-19 policies on Monday as the school year begins. All employees of New York City’s Department of Education <a href="https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/covid-information/health-and-safety-in-our-schools">are required</a> to be fully vaccinated by September 27.
That’s <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-13/lausd-orders-teachers-get-covid-19-vaccine">also the case</a> in Los Angeles, which on Thursday became the first major public school district in the US to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/09/us/los-angeles-schools-vaccine-mandate-students/index.html">mandate Covid-19 vaccines for all eligible students</a> as well as for teachers after an unanimous vote by the school board.
In Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis is currently fighting to prevent districts from requiring masks, pediatric deaths from Covid-19 have more than doubled since July. While the number of deaths is still extremely low relative to other age groups — only 17 children have died from Covid-19 in the state since the beginning of the pandemic — seven of those deaths were between March 2020, when the outbreak began in the US, and July 2021, a period of 15 months. The remaining 10 occurred after July 30 this year, <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/09/09/child-covid-fatalities-nearly-double-in-florida-1390807">Politico</a> reported Thursday.
Additionally, according to <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/09/10/biden-administration-opens-investigation-into-floridas-school-masking-policies-1390924">Politico</a>, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating the Florida public education system’s anti-mask mandate policy. In a <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=0000017b-d1cf-d916-ad7b-f7cf86d10000">letter</a> to Robert Corcoran, commissioner of Florida’s Department of Education, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Suzanne Goldberg warned that the policy could violate the civil rights of children with disabilities by preventing them from “safely returning to in-person education.”
Given the increase in pediatric cases — and scrutiny of in-school Covid-19 prevention policies — the pressure is on for vaccine manufacturers to determine whether their inoculations are safe for use in children.
According to German news outlet Der Spiegel, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-seek-approval-soon-vaccine-5-11-year-olds-spiegel-2021-09-10/">BioNTech</a> will share the results of its clinical trials on children ages 5 to 11 this month, seeking global approval of the vaccine for use in this age group.
That could mean the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could be authorized for children in that age group as soon as the end of October, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/exclusive-us-decision-pfizer-covid-19-shot-kids-age-5-11-could-come-october-2021-09-10/">Reuters</a> reported Friday.
BioNTech, which has partnered with Pfizer to manufacture its vaccine, also has a plan to seek approval for use in children ages 6 months to 2 years by the end of the year, and Moderna said that it has filled its roster for clinical trials of its vaccine in children ages 6 to 11 and is working on determining an appropriate dosage for children as young as 6 months.
In the meantime, however, Biden officials have emphasized that widespread vaccine uptake among people who are eligible for the vaccine is the best way to keep pediatric Covid-19 cases low.
“That’s why this collective responsibility we have as a society to make sure we are not only taking care of our own health, but reducing the chances we pass a virus on to somebody who’s more vulnerable — that’s why this is so important,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/09/10/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-55/">said on Friday</a>. “And that’s what the efforts that the President announced yesterday will help us do: reduce transmission, protect lives, and protect our children as well.”
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source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/9/11/22668360/cdc-study-unvaccinated-people-are-11-times-more-likely-to-die-of-covid-19">https://www.vox.com/2021/9/11/22668360/cdc-study-unvaccinated-people-are-11-times-more-likely-to-die-of-covid-19</a>

vox CDC study: Unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die of Covid-19

As the Biden administration steps up its efforts to get shots in arms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new study...

Israel Recaptures Four Of Six Palestinians Who Fleed From Jail

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Israeli media said residents alerted police after seeing two men searching litter bins for food.
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Jerusalem:
Israel has recaptured four of the six Palestinian militants who escaped from a high-security prison earlier this week in one of the most daring breakouts in the country's history, police said Saturday.
Since Monday's jail break from Gilboa prison in northern Israel, the army has poured troops into the occupied West Bank for a massive manhunt.
The latest two fugitives to be recaptured, who include a prominent former militant leader, were found hiding in a lorry park just outside Nazareth in northern Israel, police said.
Zakaria Zubeidi, 46, headed the armed wing of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank town of Jenin.
Mohammad Ardah, 39, was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for his role in Islamic Jihad's armed wing.
Police said they were "hiding in a parking lot for trucks".
"The hunt for the other two fugitives continues."
On Friday evening, police recaptured Islamic Jihad members Yaqub Qadri, 48, and Mahmud Abdullah Ardah, 45. The latter was the alleged mastermind of the escape.
"Police located (the two fugitives) and chased them in a helicopter," the police statement said.
"They offered no resistance when they were arrested in the south of Nazareth."
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the "determined and persistent" operation that led to the recapture of the four convicts.
"The high alert must continue until the recapture of the two remaining prisoners," he added, referring to Islamic Jihad members Ayham Kamamji, 35, and Munadel Infeiat, 26.
- Huge manhunt -
Israeli media said residents alerted police after seeing two men searching litter bins for food.
Shortly after their recapture was announced Friday, the army said that a rocket had been fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, but was intercepted by air defences.
A second rocket from Gaza was fired towards southern Israel on Saturday night, but was also intercepted by air defences, the army said.
Israeli police and troops had conducted a huge search operation for the six prisoners since they escaped through a tunnel dug beneath a sink in a cell.
The army closed all the checkpoints connecting Israel and annexed east Jerusalem with the West Bank to prevent them from entering Palestinian population centres.
The six fugitives were all members of Palestinian militant groups who were convicted by Israeli courts of plotting or carrying out attacks against Israelis.
Mahmud Ardah, from Arraba near Jenin, was imprisoned in 1996 for attacks on Israel claimed by Islamic Jihad and was among four to receive a life sentence.
He was held in solitary confinement in 2014 after an escape tunnel was found at Israel's Shata prison, according to his Islamic Jihad biography.
One of his brothers, Mohammed, told AFP the family was saddened by his recapture but "happy he was free" for a few days.
"Our fear now is that he will be tortured, placed in solitary confinement or barred from receiving visitors or making phone calls," he said.
- 'Heroic' escape -
Israel's Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said on television Saturday that at least one of the two prisoners still on the run had probably made his way into Palestinian territory.
A statement from Islamic Jihad said the arrests would not erase the fact of their "heroic" escape.
Any attempt by the Israeli authorities to "take revenge" on the prisoners would be interpreted as a "declaration of war", it added.
The Islamist movement Hamas that runs Gaza hailed the "heroes" of the "tunnel of freedom".
Hamas's armed wing meanwhile warned in a statement that any future prisoner exchange with Israel "will be linked to the liberation of these heroes".
Since Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza, the Islamist group has held the bodies of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, although Hamas has never confirmed their deaths.
Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli citizens who entered Gaza alone and whose families say they have mental health issues.
Israel is meanwhile holding more than 5,000 Palestinians in its jails.
When news of the escape first broke on Monday, many people in Gaza and in Jenin took to the streets to celebrate.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-recaptures-four-of-six-palestinians-who-fleed-from-jail-2538031">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-recaptures-four-of-six-palestinians-who-fleed-from-jail-2538031</a>

news world Israel Recaptures Four Of Six Palestinians Who Fleed From Jail

Israeli media said residents alerted police after seeing two men searching litter bins for food. Jerusalem: Israel has recaptured four ...

One Of The Last US Marines Killed In Afghanistan Returns Home In Casket

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Johanny Rosario was helping to screen evacuees at a checkpoint when the bomb ripped through a crowd.
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Lawrence:
US Marine Sergeant Johanny Rosario returned to her hometown in Massachusetts in a casket on Saturday, one of the last American soldiers killed in Afghanistan during a war set in motion exactly two decades ago by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Several hundred people gathered near the Farrah Funeral Home in Lawrence, Mass., where Rosario's remains arrived in a black hearse with a police motorcycle escort. Marines in dress uniform carried the casket into the funeral home, as veterans in the crowd, some of whom had not worn a uniform in years, snapped to attention.
"We came out because she is a hero to us," said Mary Beth Chosse, who waited for several hours with her 12-year-old son, Gavin. Chosse's older son is a Marine on active duty. "Sergeant Rosario's sacrifice and bravery should always be remembered."
Rosario, 25, was among 13 US service members killed last month in a suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. She was helping to screen evacuees at a checkpoint at the airport's Abbey Gate when the bomb ripped through a crowd.
About 7,100 US military personnel have been killed in conflicts tied to the September 11 attacks, with about 2,500 of those deaths happening in Afghanistan, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson Institute. The financial cost of those conflicts runs to nearly $6 trillion, according to the project.
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Like many Americans, Sheila Arias, 41, remembers September 11, 2001 in vivid detail. She was at a hair salon in Lawrence when she watched the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center collapse after al Qaeda hijackers seized control of two airplanes and crashed them into the buildings. Hijacked airplanes would also crash into the Pentagon outside Washington and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Arias soon after enlisted in the US Army, leaving a comfortable, steady job as a clerk in Lawrence's water department to join the military effort to root out al Qaeda.
"There was no question that I had to serve," Arias said. "I'm sure Johanny Rosario felt the same way."
'Always Remember Her Name'
Rosario, who was five years old when the attacks occurred, would begin her service years later, when the United States was already deeply involved in Afghanistan.
Shortly after graduating from high school in 2014, she enlisted and landed with the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
Eventually she would become a supply chief, a role usually held by a more senior non-commissioned officer, according to the Marines, and volunteered to be a member of the female engagement team to interact with Afghan women, barred by local custom from talking to male strangers.
Just three months before her death, she was recognized with an award for her attention to detail and expertise in tracking and reconciling some $400,000 worth of open supply requisitions.
On Saturday, a group of her friends from Lawrence High School huddled near the steps of the funeral home. Wearing black face masks, they spoke of Rosario's desire to serve her country, take college courses and financially support her family.
One of the women, who like the others declined to give her name, cradled a framed picture of Rosario in a formal gown.
"I can't talk. I would just cry," the woman said.
Like many residents in Lawrence, a working-class city about 30 miles (48 km) north of Boston with a strong Hispanic community, Rosario's roots extend to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, said William Lantigua, a former mayor of the city who knows her family.
Rosario is survived by her mother and a younger sister.
On Saturday, Maria Ogando joined the crowd gathered to pay tribute to Rosario after driving an hour from Worcester, Massachusetts with her family. Her daughter, nine-year-old Kayla, wore a T-shirt with Rosario's full name on the back.
"She is a hero and it is very sad for me to see her pass away," Kayla said. "But I will always remember her name and what she did for our country."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/20-years-after-9-11-one-of-last-us-marines-killed-in-afghanistan-comes-home-2537988">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/20-years-after-9-11-one-of-last-us-marines-killed-in-afghanistan-comes-home-2537988</a>

news world One Of The Last US Marines Killed In Afghanistan Returns Home In Casket

Johanny Rosario was helping to screen evacuees at a checkpoint when the bomb ripped through a crowd. Lawrence: US Marine Sergeant Johan...

Australia's Queensland State, With No New Covid Cases, Avoids Lockdown

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Australia's Queensland State, With No New Covid Cases, Avoids Lockdown" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-07/faa78d8k_australia-covid-reuters-650_625x300_16_July_21.jpg" title="Australia's Queensland State, With No New Covid Cases, Avoids Lockdown" /></div>
Australia: Meanwhile, Victoria recorded 392 Covid cases in the past 24 hours (File)
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Canberra:
Queensland, Australia's third most populous state, said on Sunday it does not need to order a lockdown after it detected zero COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours.
The state on Saturday reported five cases of COVID-19, with state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warning that a lockdown could be needed to stop the spread of the virus.
However, the state said testing had yet to detect any further cases, avoiding the need such a measure.
"We're not out of the woods yet, but this is the best result we could have hoped for at this point in the outbreak," Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters in Brisbane.
The result is a boost for Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy, which is at risk of slipping into its second recession in as many years as a result of lockdowns of the country's two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales.
Victoria on Sunday recorded 392 COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, down slightly from the 450 cases recorded in the state a day earlier.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-small-decline-in-covid-cases-in-australias-victoria-state-2537955">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-small-decline-in-covid-cases-in-australias-victoria-state-2537955</a>

news world Australia's Queensland State, With No New Covid Cases, Avoids Lockdown

Australia: Meanwhile, Victoria recorded 392 Covid cases in the past 24 hours (File) Canberra: Queensland, Australia's third most po...

'Armed Drone' Attack On Iraq Airport, Near US Consulate

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Iraq: Kurdish security forces said there were no victims in the drone attack. (File)
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Arbil:
Armed drones attacked Arbil international airport, which lies near the US consulate in this northern Iraq city, Kurdish security forces said in a statement Saturday. "There are no victims in the attack carried out by two armed drones," said the statement.
The airport, which is also the base for a coalition force of anti-jihadist troops, suffered no damage, according to its director, Ahmed Hochiar.
An AFP correspondent heard two loud blasts and saw black smoke rising up into the sky and heard sirens around the US consulate.
Security forces sealed off access to the airport zone, said witnesses.
Attacks of this kind, normally targeting US troops or US interests in Iraq, have become common in recent months.
Although no one claims responsibility for them, Washington blames pro-Iranian forces in Iraq.
The use of weaponised drones is a more recent development that poses a fresh challenge to coalition forces and the US-installed C-Ram anti-missile defence systems.
Booby-trapped drones were launched against Arbil international airport in July although they did not cause casualties or material damage that time, either.
A few weeks earlier, three drones targeted the airport in Baghdad, where US troops are also deployed.
Both Iran and the United States have a military presence and allies in Iraq. There are 2,500 American troops stationed there.
This latest attack comes on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Arbil is the capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, led by Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/armed-drone-attack-on-iraq-airport-near-us-consulate-2537953">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/armed-drone-attack-on-iraq-airport-near-us-consulate-2537953</a>

news world 'Armed Drone' Attack On Iraq Airport, Near US Consulate

Iraq: Kurdish security forces said there were no victims in the drone attack. (File) Arbil: Armed drones attacked Arbil international a...

Resistance Leader Ahmad Massoud Still In Afghanistan: Report

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Ahmad Massoud on Monday called for a "national uprising" against the Taliban. (File)
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Panjshir:
Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the Afghan resistance forces, has not left Afghanistan, Iranian news agency FARS reported on Saturday citing a source.
According to the source, rumours about Massoud leaving the Central Asian country for Turkey or any other place are false. The resistance leader is said to be in a safe place and in contact with the Panjshir Valley.
The source also said that 70 per cent of main streets in Panjshir have been brought under control by the Taliban.
Taliban has claimed that they have captured the Afghan province of Panjshir, the last resistance holdout in the country. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's National Resistance Front (NRF) has denied the claim.
"In recent days, the Taliban entered Panjshir and now 70 per cent of the main streets and passages are under their control, but the valleys of Panjshir are still under the complete control of the popular forces," Qassem Mohammadi told FNA.
The NRF said that the resistance forces are present at all strategic positions across the valley to continue the fight.
After the fall of Kabul on August 15, Panjshir province remained the only defiant holdout where resistance forces led by Ahmad Massoud, the son of late former Afghan guerrilla commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, were fighting the Taliban.
Ahmad Massoud on Monday called for a "national uprising" against the Taliban.
In an audio message sent to media, National Resistance Front commander Ahmad Massoud said, "Wherever you are, inside or outside, I call on you to begin a national uprising for the dignity, freedom and prosperity of our country," Aljazeera reported.
The geography has witnessed heavy conflict between the warring sides in the past four days and both parties are claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties.
Panjshir has been the stronghold of the National Resistance Front, led by Ahmad Massoud and former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself caretaker president.
On Sunday, Massoud said that he was ready to cease fighting and start negotiations if the Taliban abandoned the province.
Panjshir was the last Afghan province holding out against the armed group that swept to power last month. Taliban has been facing stiff resistance after pushing deep into the country''s holdout in Panjshir Valley.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/afghanistan-crisis-resistance-leader-ahmad-massoud-still-in-afghanistan-report-2537949">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/afghanistan-crisis-resistance-leader-ahmad-massoud-still-in-afghanistan-report-2537949</a>

news world Resistance Leader Ahmad Massoud Still In Afghanistan: Report

Ahmad Massoud on Monday called for a "national uprising" against the Taliban. (File) Panjshir: Ahmad Massoud, the leader of t...