Local sources have confirmed that Mawlawi Zaidullah, a militia commander and known opponent of the Taliban, was killed on Monday following intense armed clashes in the Shuhada district of Badakhshan province.
According to accounts provided to Afghanistan International, the confrontation also resulted in the deaths of at least four Taliban fighters. Several Taliban vehicles were reportedly set ablaze during the fighting.
Sources stated that Taliban forces surrounded Zaidullah’s residence in Shuhada district, leading to several hours of heavy exchanges of gunfire between the two sides. One source noted that this was not the first attempt by the Taliban to capture the commander, who had recently returned from Iran after a period of exile.
There has been no official confirmation regarding the cause of the clash. However, local sources claim the conflict may have stemmed from a longstanding personal feud between Zaidullah and Amanuddin Mansoor, the Taliban’s corps commander in Kunduz.
A resident of the district alleged that the Taliban justified the operation under the pretext of targeting ISIS elements, though no clear evidence has been presented to support this claim.
As of now, local authorities and official Taliban sources in Badakhshan have not released any formal statements concerning the incident.
