Fighting between the Taliban and armed opposition groups has resumed in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, local sources said on Saturday, as signs emerge that the conflict is spreading across the province.
According to IRAF, local sources reported that clashes restarted in Zebak District on Saturday after several days of intermittent fighting.
Video obtained by journalists shows a helicopter flying over Zebak, suggesting the Taliban have deployed additional troops and equipment to reinforce frontline positions.
A local source said opposition fighters ambushed a Taliban convoy on Friday evening in Sanglich village as it was moving toward the front line, resulting in casualties. The source did not provide casualty figures.
Last week, the main frontline between the Afghanistan Freedom Front and Taliban forces was located near Jahil-e Topkhana, an area that has witnessed repeated exchanges of fire in recent days.
Neither the Taliban nor the armed opposition groups have issued an official statement on the latest fighting, and the reported casualties could not be independently verified.
Badakhshan has become one of the main flashpoints of armed resistance against the Taliban in recent weeks.
Local sources have reported nighttime raids, ambushes, and brief territorial advances by opposition fighters in several districts, including Zebak, Yaftal, and Ragh, prompting the Taliban to reinforce their military presence across the province.
The mountainous province, which borders Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan and is home to valuable gold deposits, is considered strategically important by the Taliban. However, increasing opposition activity and growing local discontent have turned Badakhshan into one of the movement’s most significant security challenges in recent weeks.
