The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed that 37 Taliban fighters were killed and 24 others wounded during a series of clashes in Afghanistan’s northeastern provinces of Nuristan and Kunar, marking a significant escalation in fighting between the armed opposition group and the Taliban.
In a statement issued on Sunday, September 27, the Afghanistan Freedom Front said the clashes began on Saturday morning after Taliban forces launched attacks against positions held by AFF fighters in Kamdesh district of Nuristan and Nari district of Kunar.
According to the front, its forces responded with a counteroffensive that developed into prolonged clashes in several locations across the two districts. The AFF claimed that its forces inflicted substantial casualties on Taliban fighters during the fighting and that 37 Taliban personnel were killed, while another 24 were wounded. The figures were presented by the Afghanistan Freedom Front in its own statement and have not been independently verified.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front further claimed that its forces had succeeded in wresting control of several villages in Kamdesh district of Nuristan and Nari district of Kunar from Taliban control following the clashes.
The opposition group said its fighters had also captured several Taliban outposts during the fighting. According to the statement, AFF forces seized a quantity of light and heavy weapons from the positions they captured.
The claimed territorial gains, if independently confirmed, would represent a notable development in the security situation in northeastern Afghanistan, where the rugged terrain and remote communities have historically complicated military operations and the maintenance of territorial control. The front, however, did not provide independently verifiable documentation or detailed evidence accompanying its casualty and territorial claims.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said the bodies of Taliban fighters killed during the clashes, along with those wounded, were transported to hospitals in Nuristan and Kunar. The statement did not provide independently verifiable details concerning the total number of casualties, the identities of those reportedly killed or wounded, or the specific hospitals where they were allegedly taken. The reported movement of casualties to medical facilities could potentially provide an avenue for independent verification of the claims, although no such independent confirmation was cited in the statement.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front said its forces continued to hold positions in areas under their control despite the intensity of the fighting. At the same time, the group acknowledged that its fighters had temporarily withdrawn from some vulnerable outposts, describing the move as a tactical measure.
The statement said AFF forces remained positioned in areas under their control and were continuing to monitor developments following the clashes. The group did not indicate whether the fighting had resulted in a sustained change in the wider balance of territorial control in either Nuristan or Kunar.
