Taliban Clash With Villagers In Badakhshan’s Jurm District As Tensions Mount

Clashes between Taliban forces and local farmers in Farghamanch village, Jurm district of Badakhshan, have entered a second consecutive day, local sources told Afghanistan International.

The violence erupted over the Taliban’s ongoing efforts to eradicate poppy fields in the area.

According to sources, villagers attempted to carry the body of a man reportedly killed by Taliban forces during the initial confrontation in a protest march demanding justice. In response, Taliban military officials deployed reinforcements to the area on Monday.

Several residents and poppy field owners allegedly supported by local Taliban members have since taken to the surrounding mountains, establishing defensive positions against the advancing Taliban units.

Eyewitnesses reported that both sides fired warning shots into the air, raising fears of an imminent escalation. A source from the village said the deceased was later buried following mediation by Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff. The villagers had initially planned to carry the body to the Taliban governor’s office in Faizabad as part of a protest.

The unrest began on Sunday when a Taliban unit dispatched to destroy poppy fields reportedly clashed with armed locals. Witnesses said that poppy field owners, backed by sympathetic Taliban affiliates, exchanged gunfire with the enforcement team. At least one person was killed and four others injured during the confrontation.

Ahmad Jawid Mojaddedi, a former member of the Badakhshan Provincial Council, criticised the Taliban’s “double standards” in implementing the poppy ban. Speaking to Afghanistan International, he said, “While the Taliban enforce the ban harshly in Badakhshan, poppy cultivation continues unchecked in many other provinces.”

This latest episode mirrors similar confrontations from the previous year, underscoring growing discontent in Badakhshan over the Taliban’s eradication campaigns. Farmers in the region have repeatedly voiced frustration, arguing that poverty and unemployment leave them no choice but to cultivate poppies as a means of survival.