Sun, Simurgh & Lapis Mountains Shape Sepahiyan-e Mihan Emblem

In a message to a meeting on strengthening efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons in Central Asia, Lavrov stressed the cross-border nature of terrorist threats.

He said combating terrorism required unconditional unity and the rejection of double standards. He sharply criticised Western countries, saying international counterterrorism cooperation had become hostage to the destructive policies of certain Western states.

Lavrov also highlighted Moscow’s regional security efforts and reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to stability in Central Asia.

He said foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization had approved a draft counterterrorism strategy through 2030 at a recent meeting in Kazan. The document is expected to be submitted to member-state leaders for final approval this autumn.

Lavrov added that Russia was among the 10 largest financial contributors to the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and had provided $7 million to the office and its technical assistance programmes in Central Asia and Africa.

Taliban Response

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Lavrov’s remarks about the presence and growing activity of Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Mujahid claimed the Taliban had contained the group’s activities and that it no longer had a physical presence in Afghanistan.

Speaking on Friday, 17 July to Taliban-controlled national television, he said Islamic State movements had been suppressed and that concerns among regional countries were unfounded.

He said the Taliban had full control over Afghanistan and assured neighbouring countries that no threat would emerge from Afghan territory.

The remarks come despite continuing Russian concerns about security threats from Afghanistan, even after Moscow recognised the Taliban and expanded diplomatic and economic relations with the group.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned about the possible movement of extremist groups and weapons from Afghanistan into Central Asian countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said Moscow could not remain indifferent to the security of Central Asian states because of threats originating from Afghan territory.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, has also warned of increased activity by ISIS-K and its affiliates in Afghanistan.

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has said more than 20 radical groups with over 15,000 fighters are present in Afghanistan and could infiltrate neighbouring countries.

In an interview with the Russian news agency TASS, the UN official said that although al-Qaeda had reduced its activities, it was still operating in Afghanistan and had complex relations with Taliban authorities.

He added that Afghanistan had traditionally been home to numerous extremist groups for decades.

Zouev’s assessment comes amid warnings from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov described Islamic State Khorasan as the main threat to Central Asia and said the group aimed to use Afghan territory as a base for establishing a caliphate.

Speaking at a meeting on preventing terrorists from obtaining weapons in Central Asia, he stressed the cross-border nature of the threats, an issue also highlighted by Zouev.

Despite expanding relations with the Taliban, Russia continues to raise security concerns that broadly align with Zouev’s assessment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said Moscow was not indifferent to threats emerging from Afghanistan.

Amid concerns over security threats from Afghan territory, Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban administration would not be recognised or allowed to normalise relations with the international community as long as Afghan soil was used against neighbouring countries.

The former Pakistani envoy said the presence of armed groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, Islamic State Khorasan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Balochistan Liberation Army, remained one of the main reasons for Afghanistan’s continued international isolation.

Fitrat travelled from Kabul to Yaftal district in Badakhshan and is leading operations against the armed attackers. He claimed that the assault had been foiled and that the attackers had failed to achieve their objectives.

The Taliban army chief said on Friday that the group had learned early that morning of a plan by armed attackers to target Yaftali Sufla district.

He said the Taliban had received information that the “enemy” planned to create unrest in Yaftal. Fitrat added that he had travelled from Kabul to Badakhshan after receiving the information and ordered Taliban forces to respond.

According to him, the Taliban prevented the attackers from reaching their objectives and disrupted their plan.

Fitrat described the attackers as corrupt and rioters and claimed that most of them had been detained. He told the media that the remaining individuals were being pursued.

However, he provided no evidence to support the claim.

Fitrat also insisted that the security situation in Badakhshan remained under Taliban control and said the group would confront any action by armed opponents.

The newly formed Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Patriotic Soldiers Front) claimed responsibility for Friday morning’s attack on Yaftali Sufla district and said its forces had controlled the district administration building for several hours.

Local sources confirmed that the district headquarters had temporarily fallen out of Taliban control.

Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban sent reinforcements from Faizabad to Yaftal after the attack and launched extensive house-to-house searches.

According to the sources, several local residents and some local Taliban members were detained during the operation.

Yaftali Sufla is located near Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province. The temporary seizure of its district centre by armed opponents poses a serious challenge to Taliban claims of having complete control over security in the province.

In recent years, most attacks by anti-Taliban groups in Badakhshan were concentrated in mountainous and border districts, particularly the Darwaz region.

However, the latest attack on Yaftali Sufla shows that opposition activity has expanded to the outskirts of the provincial capital, potentially indicating a shift in the pattern of armed operations in Badakhshan.

In a statement on Friday, the Taliban police command said its forces arrived at the scene after the attack on Yaftali Sufla district.

The Taliban said the attackers left the area after the assault and that a search operation was under way. According to the command, several people had been arrested in connection with the incident.

The Taliban did not provide details about the identities of those detained. However, local sources told Afghanistan International that several residents had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

Taliban activists published images of the detainees on social media.

According to the sources, the attackers entered the district administration building, took some military equipment, weapons and government vehicles, and left when Taliban reinforcements arrived.

Local sources said the Taliban launched house-to-house searches in Yaftali Sufla after the attack and detained several residents. The detainees reportedly include civilians as well as some local Taliban members.

Meanwhile, reinforcement Taliban forces were sent from Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, to Yaftali Sufla district.

Some sources also claimed that senior Taliban figures had travelled from Kabul to Badakhshan to assess the province’s security situation.

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.