Officials from the Taliban’s 219 Omar-e-Salis Division have confirmed an attack by opposition forces in Zebak district of Badakhshan, saying five opposition fighters were killed and several others wounded.
Taliban officials said the clashes involved forces from the 15th Border Brigade but gave no details about casualties among their own ranks.
Officials told Hurriyat Radio, a Taliban-affiliated outlet, that the opposition fighters had allegedly intended to enter Badakhshan from Pakistan to carry out destructive activities.
Taliban sources also claimed that the fighters had bases in Pakistan’s Chitral region and planned to enter Zebak district of Badakhshan through the Shah Salim route.
The sources rejected reports that Mullah Abdul Jamil Rahmani, commander of the Taliban’s 15th Border Brigade, had been killed, saying he was alive and well.
No group or movement has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on Taliban forces.
Sources say both Taliban forces and the attackers suffered casualties in the fighting.
Sources told Afghanistan International on Friday that clashes were still continuing in the Topkhana area of Zebak district in Badakhshan. The fighting began around midday on Thursday.
Sources told Afghanistan International on Friday that fighting between Taliban forces and armed opponents is continuing in Zebak district of Badakhshan, where the Taliban reportedly failed to retake positions lost overnight.
According to the sources, the Taliban launched a large-scale assault last night to recapture positions in the Topkhana area of Zebak district, but the attack was repelled by opposition forces.
Anti-Taliban fighters had earlier attacked several Taliban posts in the Topkhana area and, according to the sources, seized several positions. The Taliban then launched a clearing operation.
The sources said dozens of anti-Taliban fighters are involved in the clashes. No group or movement has officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sources said three local Taliban commanders were killed in the fighting.
Faridullah Wahdat, commander of one of the Taliban’s border post units, was among those killed. Afghanistan International has also received an image of his body.
At the same time, sources said the anti-Taliban forces also suffered casualties, although no details are available about their losses.
The Taliban has not yet commented on casualties among its forces or on the continuing clashes in Zebak district.
The fighting in the Topkhana area began around midday on Thursday. Sources had earlier told Afghanistan International that anti-Taliban forces attacked several Taliban posts and that the group sent a large number of reinforcements to the area.
The Taliban deployed commandos by helicopter and sent additional forces overland to the site of the clashes. Sources said some wounded Taliban fighters were flown by helicopter to Faizabad city.
Sources said the Taliban shut down telecommunications towers in the area after opposition forces attacked its positions.
Unlike previous sporadic clashes, forces from both sides are now directly engaged on several fronts. Sources say anti-Taliban fighters are positioned in the highlands of Zebak district.
The fighting comes days after the newly formed Sepah-e Mihan Front attacked Yaftali Sufla district in Badakhshan.
On 17 July, fighters from the front briefly took control of the district administration building, police headquarters and Taliban intelligence office in Yaftal, and raised their flag over the district administration building.
Local sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International that an anti-Taliban armed group killed a Taliban commander during clashes in the province’s Zebak district.
The fighting began on Thursday evening and was continuing at the time of reporting.
Taliban officials have not commented on the clashes or the reported death of the commander.
Afghanistan International has obtained a photograph of the body of Faridullah Wahdat, who sources identified as the commander of one of the Taliban’s border outposts in Badakhshan.
According to the sources, the fighting erupted on Thursday evening in the Tupkhana area of Zebak district, near the border with Pakistan, and was still under way.
The sources said anti-Taliban fighters attacked Taliban positions in the Tupkhana area. The exact number of casualties remains unclear, although one source said Taliban forces had suffered losses.
According to the sources, unlike previous sporadic clashes, the latest fighting has involved direct engagements on several fronts, with exchanges of fire continuing.
It remains unclear which armed group carried out the attack. However, local sources said anti-Taliban fighters are present in the mountainous areas of Zebak district.
Both sides have reportedly deployed additional forces to reinforce their positions.
The clashes in Zebak come days after the newly formed Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Patriotic Soldiers Front) briefly seized the district centre of Yaftali Sufla in Badakhshan. On 17 July, the group temporarily captured the district governor’s office, police headquarters and Taliban intelligence office before withdrawing after several hours, raising its flag over the district administration building during the operation.
The Pakistani military rejected Amnesty International’s report on an air strike on a treatment centre in Kabul that killed civilians, accusing the Taliban of using hospitals and medical facilities as blind spots for terrorist activity.
The Pakistani military on Thursday, 23 July, described Amnesty International’s report as baseless.
Amnesty International said on Wednesday that a Pakistani air strike on the Omid Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in Kabul on 16 March 2026, which killed at least 269 civilians, should be investigated as a possible war crime.
The organisation said it had found no evidence supporting the Pakistani military’s claim that the centre was being used to store weapons, ammunition or for other military purposes.
Pakistan Rejects Amnesty’s Findings and Questions UNAMA’s Access
The Pakistani military questioned the credibility of investigations conducted by Amnesty International and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
It said claims that a 2,000-bed facility containing more than 4,000 patients, attendants and staff had been struck were inconsistent with conditions on the ground.
The military told Afghanistan International that if an incident of such scale and with such a high casualty toll had taken place, hundreds of videos and images should have emerged from patients and residents using mobile phones or CCTV cameras.
It said the absence of even a single piece of footage or image from the site was the strongest evidence against Amnesty International’s account.
The military also argued that Amnesty International’s review of only 60 photographs and 11 interviews was statistically unreliable for a facility of that size.
It further said Amnesty International’s report relied on UNAMA findings, while claiming that UNAMA’s work had been severely restricted by Taliban-imposed limitations.
Pakistan Accuses Amnesty’s South Asia Office of Indian Influence
The Pakistani military described Isabelle Lassee’s role as acting deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International as a deceptive manoeuvre and alleged that the office was effectively led by Smriti Singh, an Indian national.
Amnesty International has not responded to the allegation.
The Pakistani military alleged that Singh had previously worked with media linked to Indian intelligence and, because of what it described as ties to networks connected to India’s Defence Ministry, used Lassee’s name to publish a commissioned report against Pakistan.
Pakistan accused staff at Amnesty International’s South Asia office of favouring the Indian government’s narrative and said the organisation was whitewashing Taliban bias and crimes.
Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, said in a statement that Pakistan’s attack on the treatment facility in Kabul constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law and called on Pakistan to carry out a transparent, independent and impartial investigation and make the findings public.
She said: “The attack on the Omid Centre constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law – possibly amounting to a war crime”. She added that because the site had been known as a medical facility for more than a decade, the strike pointed to a serious failure in Pakistan’s military planning that resulted in significant civilian deaths.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry Responds
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said at a press briefing on Thursday, 23 July, that no responsible state can remain indifferent to the continued targeting of its civilians and security forces.
Andrabi said all Pakistani military operations carried out in self-defence had been based on necessity and used only as a last resort.
He said the strikes had been directed solely and exclusively at terrorists and their support bases inside Afghanistan.
The spokesman said Pakistan’s response had been proportionate to the level of threat and that the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality had been carefully observed.
Andrabi urged Amnesty International and the international community to focus their scrutiny on what he described as the Taliban regime’s continued support for terrorist groups.
He said Islamabad wanted the international community to hold the Taliban accountable for failing to meet its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the Doha Agreement and other commitments to prevent Afghan territory from being used as a base for terrorism.
He added that Pakistan reserved the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the security and safety of its citizens.
Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar urged the Afghan Taliban to ensure Afghanistan is not used by terrorist groups to target neighbouring countries, saying fulfilment of this commitment could help expand trade.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar made the remarks on Thursday, 23 July, at the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
He also called on the international community to support peaceful solutions to the region’s major disputes.
Dar again stressed that the Taliban must take action to prevent terrorist groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, from operating on Afghan soil.
He said fulfilling these commitments could create broader opportunities to expand trade and strengthen regional connectivity between South Asia and Central Asia.
Pakistan holds the Taliban responsible for preventing armed groups, particularly the Pakistani Taliban, from operating in Afghanistan and has repeatedly urged Kabul to stop Afghan territory from being used to carry out attacks against Pakistan.
The issue has become one of the main sources of tension in recent months between Islamabad and the Taliban administration.
The Taliban has rejected the accusations and insists it does not allow Afghan territory to be used against any country.
Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior has told Afghanistan International that Afghan passports extended on or after 1 August 2026 will no longer be recognised as valid travel documents in Germany.
In a statement to Afghanistan International, Federal Interior Ministry spokesperson Elena Singer said the decision had been taken in light of changes to the availability of passport applications at Afghan diplomatic missions, international legal requirements and recommendations issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Singer said foreign nationals entering or residing in Germany must, under Section 3(1) of the Residence Act, possess a valid and recognised passport or an approved substitute travel document.
The ministry clarified that Afghan passports extended before 1 August 2026 will not be affected by the new policy.
It also said applicants seeking to renew their residence permits in Germany must present a valid and recognised travel document.
However, Germany’s local immigration authorities will continue to assess individual cases to determine whether it is reasonable for an Afghan national to obtain a passport from an Afghan diplomatic mission.
If the relevant authority concludes that applying for a passport through an Afghan mission is not reasonable or possible, the individual may be issued a Travel Document for Foreigners instead.
The ministry stressed that Afghans recognised as refugees under the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention are not required to approach Afghan diplomatic missions. These individuals can fulfil Germany’s legal travel document requirements by obtaining a refugee travel document.
The Federal Interior Ministry said it does not have data on how many people are likely to be affected by the new regulation. It added that applications for newly issued Afghan passports remain possible.
The ministry also stressed that the decision is unrelated to the presence of Taliban-appointed diplomats in Germany or the German government's programme to deport Afghan nationals.