The Freedom Front, an anti-Taliban front that was established months after the fall of Kabul, on Sunday confirmed the death of one of its key commanders, Akmal Amir, in a fight against the Taliban in the southern part of Salang district, Parwan province, on Tuesday, April 11.
The front also confirmed that seven members, including Akmal Amir, were killed in the clash, one of the highest casualties inflicted on the front in nearly one year of its formation.
Taliban’s defense ministry on April 11 claimed that eight members of the freedom front were killed in the clash.
Taliban also published some photos of Akmal Amir on Sunday, April 16, which show one bullet was shot to his mouth.
The freedom front also said that the bodies were disrespected “by the Taliban.”
According to the front, the bodies of Akmal Amir and Husain, another member of the front, were taken by the Taliban because they were “disrespected and tortured.”
Taliban has taken the bodies of five other members of the freedom front to the Parwan Hospital, a province nearly 80 kilometers north of Kabul.
Sources said that Red Crescent is trying to provide the ground for the return of the bodies to their families.
The front has said that of the seven bodies, so far the body of Fahim Salangi has been buried by his relatives but they have not been allowed to hold a funeral prayer for him.
Who was Akmal Amir?
Akmal Amir was born in Kapisa province in 1987. He finished high school at Mir Masjidi Khan High School in Nijrab district, Kapisa. He had a master’s degree in military law.
After his graduation, he first served in the command center of the defense ministry and then he was appointed as operation in charge of the Shaheen Corps. Later, he served as an attorney in the Kandahar Corps.
Akmal Amir also served as head of the special operations unit of the Afghan army under the previous government.
He had received military training from US trainers in Afghanistan.
After former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country, Akmal Amir went to Panjshir with a number of former army members and fought alongside the resistance front forces there.
Soon after the fall of Panjshir to the Taliban in late August 2021, he went to Iran and was there until a few months back.
The freedom front says that Akmal Amir returned to the country nearly two months ago and took over the charge of operations of the front in northern Afghanistan.
Amir is survived by his wife and his two children.
The freedom front said that Amir engaged in a clash with the Taliban on Monday evening, April 10, in southern parts of the Salang valley that continued until 2 am on Tuesday, April 11, where he was killed along with six of his comrades.
The front said that at least 30 Taliban members were killed in the clash.
