Local sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International that a Taliban delegation sent by the group's leader failed to reach an agreement with dissident Taliban commander Juma Khan Fateh. Sources said Taliban military activity has since intensified.
Sources told Afghanistan International on Friday that, following a meeting in Shighnan, the Taliban delegation decided to dismiss and disarm individuals believed to be close to Fateh.
According to the sources, Ghulamullah Ahmadi, one of Juma Khan Fateh’s local rivals, has recently been appointed deputy commander of the Badakhshan division.
They added that the intelligence chief of Shekay district and Gulbuddin Almas, commander of the Shighnan battalion, have also been removed from their posts.
Sources said the delegation warned district governors, intelligence officials and Taliban commanders in all five districts of Darwaz region that they would be dismissed if they failed to prevent the movement of armed men operating outside the official chain of command.
According to the sources, the situation in Nusay district on Thursday evening was under heavy security, with a significant increase in Taliban military movements.
Another source told Afghanistan International that a large number of Taliban forces had been deployed to the area but had not yet entered the Darwaz districts, instead remaining in neighbouring districts.
The source added that a large convoy of Taliban intelligence personnel had also been dispatched from Kabul towards the Darwaz districts.
According to the same source, the Taliban has not only begun removing figures close to Juma Khan Fateh but has also started disarming them. The group is reportedly collecting weapons previously issued to armed men, including those deployed at mining sites and other locations.
Meanwhile, a source who met Juma Khan Fateh in Nusay district on Wednesday said the commander had placed his forces on alert but instructed them: “We will not fire the first shot.”
The source said that although Fateh was prepared for confrontation, he believed the Taliban would avoid fighting him because, in his view, “Kandahar knows the situation across Badakhshan is already tense.”
Sources say the main cause of the dispute is competition over control of the province’s gold mines.
Disputes over gold mining in Takhar and Badakhshan have escalated over the past year, repeatedly leading to deadly clashes between local residents, mining companies and the Taliban. Traditional small-scale gold mining has long been the main source of income for thousands of families in the two provinces, and the previous government did not prevent them from carrying out the work.
