Sources in Badakhshan said that a meeting between protesters and a Taliban-led delegation headed by Fasihuddin Fitrat in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, on Tuesday, May 7, concluded without any outcomes.
The Taliban spoke on Tuesday about resolving the issue and stated that they would address the grievances of those affected in the protests. However, sources claim that the protesters were also threatened with “torture and imprisonment.”
According to sources, 35 protesters from the Argu district and some from the Darayim district were forcibly brought to Faizabad on Tuesday to speak with Fasihuddin Fitrat, the head of the Taliban delegation.
The sources added that tribal elders and protest representatives, including individuals forcibly moved by the Taliban to Faizabad, are among those involved.
In these protests, a man named Nizamuddin in Darayim and a newlywed named Abdul Basit in Argu were reportedly killed by Taliban forces, with an additional 15 people injured, the sources confirmed.
Previously, the protesters demanded in a resolution that the Taliban hand over the “killers” of the two men. The resolution also stated that those Taliban members who do not speak the local language should be expelled from Badakhshan.
The Taliban have consistently stated that the protests arose after their forces attempted to destroy opium poppy fields, which was met with local resistance.
However, some political figures, human rights activists, and national political movements say these protests demonstrate the growing distance between the people and the Taliban, which they attribute to the “tyranny in the country.”
