Fresh tensions have emerged in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province following the appointment of a new governor, highlighting what local sources describe as a growing power struggle between the Taliban’s central leadership and influential provincial figures over authority and control of the province’s lucrative mineral resources.
According to sources, Taliban supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada is seeking to expand the central leadership’s influence in Badakhshan and tighten control over key administrative and economic assets in the province.
The latest dispute is said to involve Badakhshan Deputy Governor Juma Khan Fateh, who has reportedly resisted efforts by the Taliban leadership to increase its direct authority in several strategically important districts.
Sources indicate that the Darwaz districts, home to valuable gold deposits, have become the focal point of the disagreement. The mines are considered a significant source of revenue and are viewed as strategically important by the Taliban administration, which has increasingly sought to consolidate control over Afghanistan’s natural resources since returning to power.
According to local accounts, Juma Khan Fateh has opposed the deployment of additional Taliban personnel from outside the area and has resisted attempts by the central leadership to expand its influence in districts currently under his authority.
Sources further claim that he has rejected multiple directives and demands from senior Taliban leaders and remains determined to retain his influence in the Darwaz region despite mounting political pressure.
Observers familiar with developments in northern Afghanistan argue that the dispute extends beyond a routine administrative appointment or bureaucratic disagreement.
Analysts suggest the underlying issue is control over Badakhshan’s mineral wealth, particularly gold reserves located in the province’s border districts. They note that revenues generated from mining have become increasingly important to the Taliban administration, making control of such areas both politically and economically significant.
The situation has fueled speculation about broader divisions within Taliban ranks, particularly between Kabul-based decision-makers and influential local commanders and officials who have developed their own power bases since the movement’s return to power.
Political observers warn that if the dispute remains unresolved, it could further complicate governance in Badakhshan, a province that has witnessed periodic tensions over resource management, local authority, and administrative control.
They caution that continued confrontation between the central leadership and provincial power brokers could weaken internal cohesion and create additional challenges for the Taliban administration at a time when Afghanistan is already facing significant political, economic, and security pressures.
With neither side appearing willing to retreat from its position, observers believe the contest over Badakhshan’s gold-rich districts may become an important test of the Taliban leadership’s ability to balance central authority with local influence, a challenge that has increasingly surfaced across various parts of Afghanistan in recent years.
