Taliban Confirms Fall Of Yaftal District in Badakhshan

Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Patriotic Soldiers Front), or the Patriotic Soldiers, took control of the district for several hours in a surprise attack. Yaftali Sufla became the first district in Badakhshan to fall as the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power approaches.

Little information is available about the group. Local sources told Afghanistan International that it consists of people from different sections of society and residents of Badakhshan who came together in response to growing dissatisfaction with Taliban rule in the province.

According to the sources, its members include activists, some former security personnel and local residents. They are in contact and coordination with several former mujahideen commanders and political groups but have no organisational affiliation with any of them and describe themselves as an independent movement.

One member of the group told Afghanistan International that its main motivation was what he described as Taliban oppression and repression in Badakhshan.

He said they could no longer watch the Taliban continue to mistreat the people of Badakhshan and that their goal was to mobilise local communities to resist the group.

No information is currently available about the leader or commanders of Sepahiyan-e Mihan.

The armed group attacked the Yaftali Sufla district headquarters early on Friday and raised its flag over the building.

Sources said the group disarmed Taliban personnel and took military equipment with it.

After withdrawing from Yaftali Sufla, Sepahiyan-e Mihan displayed the weapons and military equipment it had seized.

Why Yaftali Sufla?

Sepahiyan-e Mihan carried out its first operation in Yaftali Sufla, an area near Faizabad that is considered more militarily vulnerable than some of Badakhshan’s mountainous districts.

Local observers believe the choice of district suggests that the group does not yet possess extensive military capacity or experience.

Although its fighters managed to seize the district building for several hours, they were forced to withdraw after the Taliban rapidly deployed reinforcements.

Some security sources also believe the group is composed more of local civilians than professional soldiers, with members taking up arms for political and patriotic reasons.

Badakhshan Emerges as Centre of Anti-Taliban Resistance

In recent years, Badakhshan has become one of the main centres of activity by armed groups opposed to the Taliban.

The National Resistance Front and the Afghanistan Freedom Front have repeatedly claimed attacks against Taliban forces in the province.

Those operations have mainly involved ambushes, guerrilla attacks and strikes on Taliban checkpoints, some of which have reportedly caused casualties among Taliban forces.

The emergence of Sepahiyan-e Mihan suggests that armed opposition in Badakhshan is expanding and that new actors are entering the conflict.

The group’s appearance comes amid rising tensions in the province, including disputes between local Taliban commanders and forces deployed from other provinces, rivalry over mines, social tensions and growing public dissatisfaction.

The Taliban also appear to be taking the situation seriously.

In recent weeks, Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob visited Badakhshan and toured several districts. The group has also created a new military unit in the province and deployed additional forces.

However, Sepahiyan-e Mihan’s attack and its temporary seizure of Yaftali Sufla showed that Badakhshan remains one of the Taliban’s most vulnerable provinces and that the likelihood of new opposition groups emerging there is increasing.

The sources told Afghanistan International that the attackers took control of the district administration building, police headquarters and intelligence office for several hours and raised their flag over the district compound.

After taking control, the assailants disarmed Taliban forces, seized military equipment and government vehicles, and then left the area, according to local sources.

Residents said the attackers held the district for several hours.

Local sources said the assault began early on Friday, when between 20 and 25 armed men stormed the Yaftali Sufla district compound. After a brief clash, they took control of the site.

Some sources also claimed that the attackers took several Taliban members with them. Afghanistan International has not independently verified this claim.

No details are currently available about possible casualties.

Local sources said a group calling itself the Patriotic Soldiers Front organised the attack.

Following the assault, the Taliban sent reinforcements from Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, to Yaftali Sufla. Sources said Taliban helicopters were also patrolling over the district and security measures had been tightened.

Yaftali Sufla is located near Faizabad and is regarded as one of Badakhshan’s important and strategically significant districts. Its residents have long played a notable role in the province’s political developments and local power structures.

The incident comes as Badakhshan has become one of Afghanistan’s most unstable provinces in recent months.

Alongside the activities of armed groups opposed to the Taliban, the province has witnessed local tensions, disputes between local Taliban commanders and forces deployed from other provinces, and conflicts over the control of mines and revenue sources, including drug cultivation and trafficking.

Local sources have also reported growing public dissatisfaction with the large presence of Taliban forces from outside Badakhshan, which they say has further complicated the province’s security situation.

Sources told Afghanistan International that Sharaei made the remarks during a training workshop for military personnel in Kandahar.

He said some ministers did not visit wounded or sick “mujahideen” but found time to meet and check on cricket stars.

Sharaei appeared to be referring to Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who visited the home of former national cricket player Shapoor Zadran to attend a memorial gathering. Haqqani has previously met cricket players and other athletes.

Speaking at a traffic police training workshop in Kandahar, Sharaei said that without Akhundzada, some government ministers would quickly change their current appearance and begin wearing ties.

Sharaei reportedly made the remarks on Tuesday at the Kandahar provincial meeting hall in the presence of about 800 military personnel.

He spoke about the role of leadership and the importance of preserving the Taliban administration’s principles, describing Akhundzada’s presence as essential to maintaining the current system and ensuring officials’ loyalty to its policies.

Reports said the workshop was also attended by Hajj and Religious Affairs Minister Noor Mohammad Saqib, Deputy Hajj Minister Mohammad Hamed Hasib, Kandahar Governor Mullah Mohammad Shirin, senior religious officials, court representatives and other Taliban figures.

The workshop focused on inspection procedures, professional duties, public conduct, responsibility, compliance with Sharia law and the moral obligations of military personnel.

Speakers urged participants to perform their duties honestly, avoid internal disputes and strengthen religious education, piety and the implementation of Sharia.

Sources told Afghanistan International that the seminar lasted 11 hours and participants were not allowed to bring mobile phones or cameras into the hall.

The justice minister’s remarks come after previous reports of disagreements between Haqqani and Sharaei over the eviction of Hezb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from his home and office, as well as alleged pressure on several businesspeople.

Haqqani, who also leads the Haqqani Network, is regarded as one of the Taliban officials who reportedly supports changes to the group’s policies and greater engagement with domestic and international actors.

Analysts say officials close to the Taliban leadership, including Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem and Sharaei, oppose Haqqani’s more engagement-oriented approach.

Over the past three years, Akhundzada has restricted the activities of the Haqqani Network in Kabul and the provinces, transferred some equipment belonging to its Badri 313 special unit to Kandahar and reduced Haqqani’s authority over appointments.

In February 2025, sources told Afghanistan International that Akhundzada had summoned Hafiz Azizuddin Haqqani, Sirajuddin Haqqani’s brother, to Kandahar over the activities of the Badri 313 unit. He was later removed from his position.

The Taliban have repeatedly denied reports of internal divisions.

Informed sources in Ghor said on Wednesday that Taliban intelligence officers had arrested at least six people from their homes in the village of Atus Sofla and others from their workplaces in Firozkoh, the provincial capital.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said Taliban forces arrived in military vehicles, raided the homes of those detained and took them into custody.

The Afghanistan Green Trend also said in a statement that Taliban intelligence had arrested dozens of young people in Ghor, particularly in Firozkoh, on suspicion of belonging to the movement’s Green Unit. It warned that those detained could face physical and psychological torture.

According to the sources, the Afghanistan Green Trend had previously carried out a rocket attack on a Taliban checkpoint in Dawlat Yar district of Ghor. They said those responsible escaped, after which the Taliban began arresting former members of the Green Trend instead.

On July 8, Afghanistan Green Trend, led by former vice-president Amrullah Saleh, released a video claiming responsibility for an attack on Taliban forces in the market area of Dawlat Yar district.

One source said about 20 local elders visited the office of the Taliban governor on Wednesday to demand the detainees’ release. According to the source, local Taliban officials claimed they were unaware of the arrests.

A resident of Ghor said at least three of those detained had worked for the former Afghan government in the departments of agriculture and livestock, labour and social affairs, and the National Bank. He said they were arrested at their workplaces.

The Taliban has not officially commented on the arrests.

Sources said the detainees had been taken to an unknown location, and their families had received no information about their whereabouts or condition.

In its statement, the Afghanistan Green Trend said it was monitoring what it described as Taliban crime, but it did not confirm whether those arrested were members of the movement.

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group and the Humanitarian Access Working Group published the report on Wednesday, examining the impact of Taliban restrictions on women working in aid organisations.

The findings are based on a survey of 122 humanitarian organisations operating across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. The report identifies funding cuts, the dismissal of female staff, tighter operational restrictions and acceptance of Taliban conditions for women’s employment as its main findings.

It shows that the highest levels of restrictions on humanitarian organisations and female staff were reported in a handful of provinces.

Herat reported the highest rate at 36%, followed by Kabul with 31%, Nangarhar with 22%, Kandahar with 20% and Kunar with 17%.

The report presents the findings of the fifteenth round of the Gender in Humanitarian Action and Humanitarian Access Working Group survey.

It found that 56 percent of organisations had dismissed Afghan female employees because of funding cuts, while 46 percent said women could no longer attend offices as they had previously.

The report highlights that the education and health sectors have been most affected by restrictions preventing women from working. It also found that 45 percent of organisations were still trying to continue operations with both female and male staff.

Some 16% of women employed by aid organisations are now working from home following Taliban restrictions, while 61% of organisations said female staff required a male guardian to accompany them on work-related travel.

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group is a humanitarian coordination mechanism bringing together the United Nations, international and national NGOs, and other humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan.

The Humanitarian Access Working Group coordinates issues related to humanitarian access among the UN, NGOs and other humanitarian actors.

According to the survey, 49% of organisations said their female staff had experienced increased anxiety and security concerns because of Taliban restrictions on movement and dress.

Some organisations also reported that women were being stopped by officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice while travelling to work.

Earlier, UN Women warned that cuts in international aid were pushing organisations supporting women in crisis-affected countries, including Afghanistan, to the brink of closure.