Juma Khan Fateh, the Taliban’s deputy governor in Zabul province in south, has agreed to disarm armed men loyal to him in Badakhshan as Taliban attempt to contain a widening dispute over gold mines in the northeastern province, local sources told Amu TV on Saturday.
The reported agreement was reached during a meeting with Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban army chief of staff, who traveled to Badakhshan last week amid escalating tensions between local residents and Taliban-linked groups over access to gold deposits.
According to the sources, Fateh agreed to disarm all of his “unauthorized armed men” and told Taliban officials that he would leave the Darwaz region and return to Zabul.
The sources said Fitrat also assured local Taliban officials, including the Taliban governor of Badakhshan, that he would personally oversee efforts to resolve the dispute.
Fateh also reportedly said he would accept whatever decision the Taliban judiciary makes regarding Musa Kaka, one of his commanders in Nusay district, who has been accused by local residents of seizing land containing gold deposits in Shukai district.
Last week, local sources told Amu that Taliban intelligence had arrested Musa Kaka, a Taliban commander and close associate of Fateh.
Following the arrest, armed men loyal to Musa Kaka dispersed to various parts of Badakhshan, raising concerns about security and the possibility of clashes among rival Taliban factions, sources said.
The dispute is rooted in growing tensions over control of gold mines in Shukai district, where local residents have accused Taliban-linked groups of occupying land and bringing in mining equipment without community consent.
The unrest has exposed broader frustrations in parts of Badakhshan over mining revenues, local representation and the role of non-local Taliban commanders in the province.
The latest developments follow a meeting held in Badakhshan on Thursday between senior Taliban officials and local community representatives. According to sources, the talks ended without a breakthrough.
The meeting reportedly included Fitrat, Fateh and senior Taliban intelligence officials, alongside local elders and community leaders.
Sources said community representatives demanded that more native Badakhshan residents be appointed to government positions in the province, reflecting long-standing complaints that key administrative and security posts are increasingly controlled by Taliban officials from outside the region.
The gold mine dispute has become one of the most significant internal challenges facing Taliban in Badakhshan in recent months. Earlier clashes linked to the dispute left at least two people dead and 10 others wounded, according to local sources.
