An anti-Taliban resistance group has claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on Taliban forces during an ongoing offensive in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, saying it captured several strategic positions after intense clashes.
According to a statement issued by the Freedom Front, its fighters launched coordinated attacks on Taliban bases, military units and defensive positions in the Zibak district from multiple directions on Thursday morning. The group said the operation remains underway.
The resistance front claimed that at least 21 Taliban members, including several field commanders, were killed, while 37 others were wounded during the fighting. It further alleged that Taliban positions overlooking the Zibak border battalion were overrun, forcing Taliban fighters to retreat from key high ground.
The group said Taliban forces launched repeated attempts to recapture the lost positions but failed to regain control, retreating after suffering additional casualties.
According to the statement, one Freedom Front fighter was killed during the clashes.
The resistance group also claimed that dozens of wounded Taliban members were evacuated by helicopter to hospitals in Faizabad and other parts of Badakhshan. It further alleged that a significant quantity of ammunition, light and heavy weapons, military equipment and other supplies was seized during the operation.
The Freedom Front maintained that it has established control over several areas previously held by the Taliban and vowed to continue military operations against the Taliban administration.
The Taliban, while confirming that fighting had taken place in the area, presented a different account of the clashes. Taliban officials claimed that a group of armed fighters attempted to infiltrate the artillery zone of Zibak district from the direction of Chitral but was confronted by Taliban border forces. They further asserted that five attackers had been killed during the engagement.
The reported clashes come amid a series of resistance activities in northern and northeastern Afghanistan, where anti-Taliban groups have recently claimed an increase in coordinated attacks, particularly in provinces including Badakhshan, Takhar and Baghlan, reflecting continued security challenges for the Taliban administration.
