juma khan fatah

A group of Taliban in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan. (AFP)

Taliban face resistance on two fronts in Afghanistan's Badakhshan

The group is battling armed opposition while moving to disarm local fighters and replace non-Pashtun commanders and officials in the northeastern province.

August 20, 2026

Pamiri house in front of a mountain, Badakhshan province, Zebak, Afghanistan. (AFP)

Taliban's grip in northern Afghanistan fractures as rebels claim major territorial wins

The clashes involve disputed casualty figures, competing accounts of who took part, and fighting between rival Taliban factions, with neighboring Tajikistan also raising concerns over cross-border violence.

August 17, 2026

Juma Khan Fateh, a Tajik Taliban commander in Badakhshan province, stands with his fighters in an undated image. He was later arrested after failed talks with Taliban officials over control of gold and lapis lazuli mines. (Afghanistan International)

Ethnic rifts deepen among Afghan Taliban as talks with dissident commander fail

A Tajik commander's arrest after refusing to surrender gold and lapis lazuli mines reveals tensions between Kandahar's Pashtun-dominated Taliban leadership and non-Pashtun fighters over resources and political influence.

July 2, 2026

Juma Khan Fatah, a deputy governor of Zabul province in Afghanistan, has become a focal point of Afghan Taliban internal disputes over control of valuable mining operations. (8am Media)

Afghan Taliban's internal divisions exposed over northern commander's arrest order

Juma Khan Fatah, the northern commander, controls about 10,000 fighters in northern Afghanistan, with tensions stemming from disputes over valuable mining operations and control of resources.

June 21, 2026