ISLAMABAD: Heavy fighting has broken out in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province as anti-Taliban armed groups and Taliban forces continue to clash in Zebak district, with both sides claiming battlefield gains and reporting casualties.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that it had launched attacks against Taliban positions in Zebak district, describing the operation as the beginning of a “new phase” in the armed resistance against the Taliban.
AFF political chief Daoud Naji said in a post on X that the “decisive battle for liberation” had entered a new stage, and expressed confidence that the outcome would ultimately benefit the people of Afghanistan.
The latest violence follows another anti-Taliban operation earlier this month in Yaftali Sufla district, where the newly formed Sepah-e Mihan Front briefly seized key government buildings before withdrawing, highlighting a renewed pattern of organized armed resistance in Badakhshan.
Afghan media quoting local sources said, “The fighting began on Thursday in the Topkhana area of Zebak district near the Pakistan border and continued into Friday.”
“The clashes reportedly intensified after anti-Taliban fighters attacked several Taliban checkpoints and captured several positions, prompting the Taliban to launch a large-scale counteroffensive.”
Afghanistan International, quoting sources said that Taliban forces attempted overnight to retake the lost positions but were pushed back by opposition fighters.
“The Taliban reportedly deployed reinforcements, including commandos transported by helicopter, while additional troops were sent overland.”
Wounded Taliban personnel were also flown to Faizabad for medical treatment.
According to Afghan media, Taliban officials confirmed that an armed attack had taken place, saying fighters from the movement’s 15th Border Brigade were involved in the operation.
Taliban-affiliated Hurriyat Radio reported that at least five opposition fighters were killed and several others wounded.
The Taliban rejected reports that Mullah Abdul Jamil Rahmani, commander of the 15th Border Brigade, had been killed, insisting he was alive.
However, Afghan media quoting local sources said Taliban forces also suffered casualties. They claimed that three local Taliban commanders were killed during the clashes, including Faridullah Wahdat, commander of one of the Taliban’s border outposts.
Afghanistan International reported receiving a photograph purportedly showing Wahdat’s body, although the Taliban have not acknowledged losses among its own ranks.
No armed group has officially claimed responsibility for the operation beyond the Afghanistan Freedom Front’s confirmation of attacks in the district.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that dozens of anti-Taliban fighters remain positioned in the mountainous areas of Zebak, where exchanges of fire are continuing.
