Anti-Taliban Resistance Intensifies in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan, Report Says

Armed groups opposed to the Taliban have claimed responsibility for a series of new attacks in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province, signaling an escalation of the insurgency in the country’s north. Citing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the report said Badakhshan is increasingly emerging as a key center of anti-Taliban resistance, with guerrilla operations raising fresh questions about the Taliban’s security control in the province.

According to the report, resistance fighters targeted Taliban positions in Yaftal, Zebak, Argo, and Kishm districts. It said the groups briefly seized key Taliban sites in Yaftal on July 29 and have also carried out attacks on checkpoints, military installations, and major intersections. A rocket attack reportedly struck a Taliban checkpoint at the Argo-Kishm junction on July 28, while several Taliban checkpoints in Zebak were targeted on July 24, with reports claiming Taliban casualties.

Radio Free Europe said the Taliban’s strict style of governance has contributed to renewed resistance in Badakhshan, adding that the province, like Panjshir, continues to pose a security challenge for the Taliban. The report also linked growing local discontent to a lack of trust between residents and the Taliban administration, tensions over control of mineral resources, and dissatisfaction among the province’s largely Tajik population. The claims regarding attacks and casualties have not been independently verified.