Armed opposition to Taliban rule in Afghanistan appears to be intensifying, with at least 72 attacks carried out against Taliban forces between February and April 2025, according to a new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The report highlights the growing activity of key anti-Taliban resistance groups. The National Resistance Front (NRF) was responsible for 56 of the attacks, making it the most active insurgent group during the period. The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claimed 16 attacks, while the Afghanistan Freedom Movement (AFM) reported three, all in the month of April.
In addition to the claimed operations, UNAMA documented 11 more attacks for which no group has yet taken responsibility.
Three of the reported incidents have been independently verified by the UN. These included strikes on the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior in Kabul, the district centre of Nijrab in Kapisa province, and Bagram Airfield in Parwan province. However, the number of casualties in these attacks has not been confirmed.
Interestingly, the AFF was the only group to declare a Ramadan ceasefire, pausing operations during the holy month, a move not mirrored by other factions.
The NRF, AFF, and AFM have sporadically challenged Taliban authority through guerrilla-style tactics since the group’s return to power in August 2021, following the U.S. withdrawal. These resistance movements accuse the Taliban of rampant human rights violations, suppression of civil liberties, and ruling without national consensus or inclusivity.
UNAMA’s findings suggest that while scattered and limited in scale, organised resistance to the Taliban remains active and could potentially escalate if conditions remain unchanged.
