Fighting between Taliban and the Freedom Front continued in parts of Badakhshan on Monday, according to local residents and sources within the Taliban, as clashes entered a second week.
Residents and Taliban sources in the province told Amu TV that fighting continued for several hours overnight in different parts of Zebak district, which has emerged as the center of the recent violence. The Freedom Front also confirmed that clashes were ongoing.
The latest clash follows more than a week of sporadic attacks by armed groups opposed to the Taliban across several districts of Badakhshan, one of the most sustained episodes of armed resistance in the province since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Last week, the Homeland Soldiers Front briefly seized control of Yaftal-e Payin district before Taliban forces regained control several hours later, according to local sources. Since then, the Freedom Front has reported continued operations in Zebak district.
Residents said the heightened military activity has turned parts of Zebak into a heavily militarized area.
“Fighting has continued in several districts, and people remain deeply concerned about the security situation,” one resident of Badakhshan told Amu TV, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
Local elders and Taliban sources in Yaftal-e Payin said opposition fighters had since withdrawn from the district. They added that Taliban forces conducted house-to-house searches after regaining control, although the security situation has since stabilized.
Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s chief of army staff, has traveled to Zebak as fighting continues.
Speaking at an event in Kabul on Monday, senior Taliban officials sought to downplay the significance of the fighting.
Shir Ahmad Haqqani, the Taliban’s minister of Information and Culture, dismissed reports about the clashes as “rumors” intended to mislead the public. He also described the armed opposition as discredited groups with no genuine support among Afghans.
“An incident has occurred in Badakhshan. If we analyze it, we reach the conclusion that it is based on rumors and false narratives, and they are trying to mislead the public,” he said.
“Those who are fighting are individuals who are widely known as killers, bandits, oppressors and servants of others. They have already been defeated here. They have been defeated because of their own oppressive actions. You will not find anyone among them who is committed to Afghan values—let alone to Islam,” he added.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid likewise acknowledged recent fighting in Yaftal-e Payin and Zebak but said such incidents occur in every country and had been exaggerated for propaganda purposes.
“If you compare this with other countries, such incidents happen everywhere, but here they are turned into propaganda,” Mujahid said. “They do not pose a problem for anyone. I want to reassure our people that these are devoted fighters and mujahideen. They are people who sacrificed their lives for this system, and they continue to do so.”
The Freedom Front, meanwhile, claimed its fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban forces and forced them to withdraw from positions in Zebak district. The front also alleged that Taliban had planted land mines around some of their outposts while preparing to leave the area.
The Taliban rejected those claims, saying their forces had instead inflicted heavy casualties on opposition fighters.
Security analyst Asadullah Nadim said the recent fighting indicates that anti-Taliban groups remain capable of launching coordinated attacks in parts of Badakhshan despite the Taliban’s continued security operations. He said the clashes also demonstrate the strategic importance of the province for both the Taliban and armed opposition groups.
Bismillah Taban, a security analyst, said the recent clashes demonstrate that armed opposition activity persists in parts of northeastern Afghanistan despite the Taliban’s repeated assertions that security has been restored nationwide. He said the continuing violence suggests that opposition groups retain the ability to challenge Taliban in remote areas, even if only temporarily.
On Sunday, the Taliban governor of Badakhshan urged armed opposition groups to lay down their arms and said any grievances should be resolved through dialogue with the Taliban.
