According to IRAF, clashes in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan have intensified, with the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claiming it has captured strategic positions and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban forces, while senior Taliban officials rejected the claims and said government troops remain in full control of the area.
According to statements issued by the AFF, one of the country’s main armed opposition groups, its fighters have carried out a series of attacks against Taliban positions in Zebak district over the past three days.
The group said at least seven Taliban fighters were killed and six others wounded in a rocket attack targeting a Taliban reinforcement convoy traveling from Kabul to Badakhshan. It also claimed to have shot down two Taliban drones in the district and forced Taliban units to withdraw from several strategic positions and high ground.
The Taliban has dismissed the claims, insisting its forces continue to control the area.
Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s army chief, who visited the conflict zone in Zebak, said opposition fighters had suffered heavy losses after encountering strong resistance from Taliban forces. He added that the remaining militants had retreated toward the Shah Salim area inside Pakistan, and that Taliban forces had halted their pursuit after they crossed the border.
Separately, Badakhshan’s Taliban-appointed governor, Mohammad Ismail Ghaznawi, urged armed opponents to lay down their weapons and pursue peace. Addressing local residents, he said those attempting to undermine security should remember that they had received support from the United States and NATO for two decades without achieving their objectives, adding that Taliban forces had experience defeating them on the battlefield.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front is one of the principal armed groups opposing Taliban rule. Led by former Afghan army chief Gen. Yasin Zia, the group is composed largely of military personnel from the former Afghan government and has claimed responsibility for a number of guerrilla attacks against Taliban targets over the past two years.
The latest fighting comes about 10 days after another newly formed anti-Taliban group, Sepahiyan-e Mihan, briefly seized control of the district administration building in Yaftal district in Badakhshan for several hours, in what was described as an unprecedented incident in the province over the past five years.
Bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, Badakhshan occupies a strategically important position in Afghanistan’s northeast and has long been regarded as a key province in the country’s security and regional geopolitical landscape.
