Taliban Regime Faces Growing Resistance Movements and Rising Internal Conflicts Across Afghanistan

A newly formed armed group calling itself Sepahiyan-e-Mihan has announced its presence in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province by seizing control of Yaftal-e-Sufla district, according to Afghan media reports.

The group reportedly draws members from varied backgrounds, including former security personnel and local residents, though its size, organizational structure, and level of coordination with other anti-Taliban factions remain unclear from available reporting.

The emergence of this new group coincides with signs of internal strain within Taliban administration itself. District governor Qari Mati-ur-Rahman was removed from his post in Badakhshan just one week after his appointment, according to Afghan media — marking the second district governor replacement in the province within just a few months, a turnover rate that points to friction within Taliban ranks over local governance decisions.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, tensions between the Taliban and Jumma Khan Fateh remain unresolved, with continued friction between his supporters and Taliban leadership in Badakhshan. The persistence of this specific dispute, alongside the rapid governor turnover, suggests the province remains a particular flashpoint for internal Taliban disagreements beyond the broader anti-Taliban resistance activity in the area.

Badakhshan’s mountainous terrain and its role as a historical center of anti-Taliban resistance during Afghanistan’s 1990s civil war have made it a recurring site of armed opposition activity since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power. Established anti-Taliban factions, including the National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front, remain active across Badakhshan and several other provinces, according to Afghan media reporting.

The National Resistance Front separately posted new video footage on X showing its forces patrolling what it described as a significant area, part of the group’s ongoing effort to demonstrate continued operational presence despite the Taliban’s broader territorial control since 2021. The authenticity and precise location of such footage is generally difficult to verify independently given restricted media access to contested areas.

International analysts cited in the reporting describe the growing independence-oriented movements in Afghanistan as clear evidence that the Afghan public has grown weary of Taliban rule, while characterizing the sudden Badakhshan governor change as reflecting a lack of trust and internal disagreement between Taliban central leadership and local factions.

This pattern of internal Taliban friction and persistent armed resistance adds another layer to the mounting pressures facing the Taliban government, alongside international legal action being prepared over women’s rights violations and UN concerns about militant safe havens inside Afghan territory. Whether the emergence of new armed factions like Sepahiyan-e-Mihan signals a broader coordination among anti-Taliban groups, or represents another fragmented, localized challenge without lasting territorial impact, will likely become clearer depending on how the Taliban responds to consolidate control in Badakhshan following this latest governance disruption.