SCO Foreign Ministers Discuss Situation In Afghanistan

The front said in a statement on Friday that its operation began on Thursday morning, 23 July, from several directions against Taliban bases, units and military positions in Zebak and was still continuing.

According to the Afghanistan Freedom Front, its fighters pushed Taliban forces out of bases and positions in the highlands surrounding a border post in Zebak.

The group said the Taliban had made several attempts to retake the lost positions but failed, suffering casualties and retreating to their previous positions.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front said at least 37 wounded Taliban members were flown by helicopter to hospitals in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, and several other districts.

The statement said its fighters had seized large quantities of ammunition, light and heavy weapons, military equipment and other combat supplies from the Taliban.

The group said its forces had captured areas from the Taliban and would continue fighting.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front said one of its fighters had been killed in the clashes.

The Taliban had earlier confirmed the fighting and said five attackers had been killed.

Noorullah Nazari, spokesman for the Taliban’s 219 Omar-e-Salis Division in Badakhshan, said a group of armed men tried to enter the Topkhana area of Zebak district from Chitral on Thursday but were confronted by Taliban border forces.

Naji confirmed that the Afghanistan Freedom Front had launched attacks against Taliban forces in Zebak district of Badakhshan.

Writing on X on Friday, Naji said the decisive battle for liberation has entered a new phase. A battle whose end will be freedom, with the people of Afghanistan as the true winners.

Sources had told Afghanistan International that anti-Taliban forces attacked several Taliban posts in Zebak district.

The fighting began on Thursday, and sources confirmed on Friday that clashes between the two sides were continuing.

Taliban officials confirmed the opposition attack and said at least five opposition fighters had been killed.

Naji said full details of the clashes between the Afghanistan Freedom Front and Taliban forces in Badakhshan would soon be released in an official statement.

Some sources said three local Taliban commanders had also been killed in the fighting. The Taliban has not provided any information about casualties among its own forces.

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.

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.

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.