13 Taliban Fighters Killed in Attack in Panjshir Province, Says NRF

The National Resistance Front (NRF) has claimed responsibility for a targeted attack that killed 13 Taliban fighters and wounded four others in Panjshir province’s Dara district.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the NRF said the operation was carried out on the night of Friday, 17 May, against a base belonging to the Taliban’s 3rd Battalion special unit. The attack reportedly began around 9:00 p.m. and resulted in the destruction of Taliban weaponry and equipment.

Local residents in Dara district confirmed to Afghanistan International that they heard a powerful explosion that night. One source stated, “The Taliban had turned the home of a tribal elder into a military base, and the explosion occurred inside that house.”

The Taliban have not issued any official response regarding the incident.

The attack comes amid a growing media presence of key NRF figures. Newly circulated images show Khalid Amiri and Hasib Panjshiri, two prominent NRF commanders, armed and dressed in military uniforms in a mountainous location, reportedly within Afghanistan.

General Qadam Shah Shahim, former Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army, told Afghanistan International that NRF forces continue to operate in multiple regions across the country.

The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, remains the most organised military opposition to the Taliban and continues to claim responsibility for sporadic attacks against Taliban positions, particularly in Panjshir and neighbouring provinces.