Fierce fighting has been reported in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan Province, where anti-Taliban resistance groups claim to have intensified military operations against Taliban forces, signaling what they describe as a new phase in the armed resistance.
According to media reports citing sources within the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), resistance fighters allegedly shot down two Taliban unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Saturday in the Zebak district of Badakhshan Province. The reported operation is said to have taken place during the afternoon amid continuing clashes between resistance forces and Taliban units in the mountainous region.
Media outlets reported that they had reviewed images purportedly showing the wreckage of the destroyed drones scattered across rugged terrain. However, while sources associated with the Afghanistan Freedom Front have described the incident, the organization had not, at the time of reporting, issued an official public statement formally confirming the drone shootdowns.
The reported incident comes against the backdrop of several days of intense combat in Zebak district. According to the Afghanistan Freedom Front, its fighters have been engaged in sustained military operations against Taliban positions over the past three days.
A day earlier, the resistance group claimed that coordinated attacks on Taliban outposts in Zebak resulted in the deaths of at least 21 Taliban fighters, including several commanders, while another 37 personnel were reportedly wounded. These figures have not been independently verified.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front further asserted that its forces seized control of multiple Taliban checkpoints situated in the strategically significant mountainous areas surrounding a border battalion, forcing Taliban units to withdraw from several positions. Independent confirmation of these territorial claims remains unavailable.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s 219th Omar-e-Salis Division acknowledged that clashes had occurred in Zebak on Friday night. In an official statement, the division confirmed an attack by anti-Taliban fighters targeting the 15th Border Brigade.
According to the Taliban’s account, five resistance fighters were killed and several others wounded during the engagement. The Taliban statement did not disclose any casualties suffered by its own forces.
Sources familiar with developments in the area reported that, during the initial phase of the fighting, the Taliban reinforced its positions by deploying commandos via helicopter while simultaneously sending additional ground forces into the district. Reports also indicate that wounded Taliban personnel were evacuated by helicopter to Faizabad for medical treatment.
The latest confrontation follows another reported escalation in Badakhshan involving the recently established Sepah-e-Mihan Front. The group claimed that on 17 July it briefly seized control of several government facilities in Yaftal-e-Sufla district, including the district administration headquarters, police headquarters, and a Taliban intelligence office, before raising its flag over the captured buildings. These claims have not been independently verified.
As fighting continues, senior Afghanistan Freedom Front officials have indicated that they view the current operations as part of a broader expansion of armed resistance against Taliban rule.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X following the recent clashes, Dawood Naji, head of the political committee of the Afghanistan Freedom Front, stated that military operations against Taliban forces had entered what he described as “a new and decisive phase.” He asserted that resistance activities had formally commenced in Zebak district and expressed confidence that the campaign would ultimately lead to what he described as the liberation of Afghanistan and the success of its people.
The recent escalation highlights the increasingly volatile security environment in northeastern Afghanistan, where resistance groups continue to challenge Taliban control through coordinated military operations. While both sides have reported battlefield successes and casualties, many of the claims remain independently unverified, underscoring the difficulty of obtaining reliable information from active conflict zones.
The situation in Badakhshan continues to evolve as fighting persists, with observers closely monitoring developments that could have broader implications for security and stability across northeastern Afghanistan.
