Fighting between Taliban and the Freedom Front continued for a third consecutive day on Sunday in parts of the northeastern province of Badakhshan, local sources said, as both sides issued conflicting accounts of the battlefield and claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on each other.
Residents told Amu TV that intermittent clashes continued overnight in the districts of Zebak, Yaftal and Darayem. They said fighting in several parts of Zebak lasted for hours, while sporadic gunfire was also heard in neighboring Darayem district.
The latest violence marks one of the most sustained confrontations between Taliban and an armed opposition group in Badakhshan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The mountainous province, which borders Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, has seen an increase in anti-Taliban activity in recent weeks.
Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s chief of army staff, said the security situation in Badakhshan, particularly in Zebak district, remained fully under Taliban control.
“The attackers faced strong resistance from the mujahideen,” Fitrat said on Saturday after visiting the district. “Many of them were killed and many others were wounded. They evacuated their wounded, and some later died. Our forces remain deployed in the same frontline positions as before.”
The Freedom Front rejected the Taliban’s account, saying its fighters had seized several Taliban checkpoints and military positions in the Topkhana area of Zebak district and that clashes were continuing. Taliban officials denied that any of their positions had fallen.
The armed group also said it had carried out a rocket attack overnight on a Taliban military convoy in Doshi district of neighboring Baghlan province, claiming to have killed and wounded several Taliban members.
Local sources confirmed that an attack had taken place but did not provide information about casualties. Taliban have not commented publicly on the claim.
Both sides have released conflicting casualty figures, each claiming to have inflicted significant losses on the other. None of the battlefield claims could be independently verified.
Samad Samadi, a military analyst, said the recent fighting had challenged the Taliban’s image of military dominance.
“The fighting in Badakhshan and the territorial gains claimed by the Freedom Front have undermined the Taliban’s military ambitions,” Samadi said.
Other analysts urged caution in assessing claims made by either side.
“One side is the governing authority and the other is an opposition force,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a military and political analyst. “Opposition groups often make claims that are difficult to verify because they seek to strengthen their public standing. In the case of Badakhshan, I do not believe all of the opposition’s claims reflect the reality on the ground.”
Local sources also said Taliban forces had increased their military presence in parts of Zebak district and begun house-to-house searches following the clashes.
The renewed fighting follows an attack last week by another anti-Taliban group, the Homeland Soldiers Front, which said it had temporarily seized control of Yaftal-e Paeen district, including several government buildings, for several hours. Taliban officials denied losing control of the district.
The recent clashes underscore the persistence of localized armed resistance against Taliban rule, even as the Taliban continue to maintain that they have established nationwide security since returning to power nearly five years ago.
