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.

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.

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.