Nearly two weeks after Juma Khan Fateh, a Taliban dissident commander, surrendered and one phase of tensions in Badakhshan ended, the province is entering a new period of deeper internal Taliban divisions and defiance of orders from Kandahar.
As Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada appoints a new governor and police chief to contain the unrest, evidence suggests the list of dissatisfied local Taliban figures in Badakhshan is growing.
The Taliban leadership’s “monopolistic” policies, the marginalisation of Tajik and Badakhshani figures, and what critics describe as the unchecked looting of gold mines by outsiders have pushed some younger Taliban commanders in the province to the limit.
Discontent among Badakhshani Taliban members initially emerged through sharp criticism on social media. It later developed into open armed confrontation after Mahfuzullah, the former intelligence chief in Baharak, attacked the intelligence directorate and Juma Khan Fateh subsequently clashed with Taliban forces in Nusay district in August.
Recent investigations by Afghanistan International, along with interviews with several dissenting commanders in Jurm and Warduj districts, regarded as major strongholds of Badakhshani Taliban members, reveal new dimensions of the crisis.
On 25 August, Hibatullah appointed Rahmatullah Najib as governor of Badakhshan and Ahmad Shah Dindost as the provincial police chief.
Critics say the appointment of Pashtun officials and figures close to Hibatullah to key posts in Badakhshan has further marginalised local Taliban members. Sources say even the latest provincial reshuffle has failed to ease tensions because the most important positions remain in the hands of figures trusted by Kandahar, while local Taliban members are given largely symbolic roles.
Dissenting commanders say the deliberate exclusion of Tajik figures and the allocation of Badakhshan’s gold reserves to companies from Kandahar and Helmand have not only pushed them away from the governing structure but also seriously weakened their standing among local communities.
One of the first figures to openly oppose the Taliban’s Pashtun governor around three years ago was Salahuddin Salar, deputy head of intelligence at the Taliban Defence Ministry.
Over time, the protests widened. Juma Khan Fateh eventually entered armed clashes with Taliban forces and killed several fighters from Kandahar and Helmand. He later surrendered to Qari Fasihuddin and is now in Kabul awaiting trial before a military court. The outcome of the case could influence the direction of the wider unrest.
The Taliban has launched an extensive campaign to gather complaints and evidence against Fateh, apparently seeking to build a serious case against the dissident commander.
Salahuddin Salar
Salahuddin Salar, a resident of the Khastak area of Jurm district, has repeatedly criticised Taliban leadership policies on Facebook and has even described pledging allegiance to an “unseen emir” as a mistake.
Sources say his close relationship with Qari Fasihuddin has so far protected him from direct prosecution. However, Salar’s continued criticism and the Taliban’s silence have led some local Taliban members to speculate that he may have connections with the group’s intelligence apparatus and leadership.
Sayad Khastaki
Sayad Khastaki, a Taliban police recruitment commander in Badakhshan, is another figure who has criticised the group’s policies.
Following the clashes involving Juma Khan Fateh, he wrote: “The blood of our mujahideen had one value before the victory, but now they kill us and brand us as rebels.”
Khastaki was arrested several months ago by the Taliban police chief and removed from his post. Sources say, however, that he later returned to work and resumed his duties despite orders from Badakhshan police officials.
Qari Mahfuz
Qari Mahfuz, the former intelligence chief of Baharak district and a figure close to Helmand Governor Amanuddin Mansoor, became involved in a verbal dispute with Pashtun Taliban members in Faizabad.
On 1 August, he attacked the Taliban intelligence directorate with a PK machine gun before fleeing the area. Sources say he has since been dismissed from his position.
Mahfuzullah Qutiba
Mahfuzullah Qutiba, a resident of Jurm district, has also expressed dissatisfaction with Taliban leadership policies, particularly those concerning Badakhshan, and has occasionally voiced his criticism on Facebook.
After Abdul Matin Rahimzai, the Pashtun head of Badakhshan’s mines department and an ally of the Taliban leader, was dismissed, Qutiba posted a photograph of him and wrote that some people come to Badakhshan claiming they want to serve and develop the province, but instead “play the role of thieves and then flee”.
Discontent within the ranks of the Badakhshani Taliban is not limited to a handful of figures. The protests are gradually spreading to a broader group of local commanders.
Figures including Dr Ibrahim Baharaki and Jahan Khan Noori, the Taliban police chief of Yaftal district, have also repeatedly voiced objections to the central leadership’s policies at public gatherings.
Their main grievances include the exclusion of Badakhshani Taliban members from decision-making in the province, the large presence of non-local forces, and the extraction and alleged looting of Badakhshan’s gold reserves by companies from Kandahar and Helmand, a process they believe is transferring the province’s wealth outside Badakhshan.
Available findings suggest that many of the commanders now at the forefront of opposition to Kandahar’s policies are close to, or under the influence of, Qari Fasihuddin, the Taliban army chief of staff, and Mawlawi Amanuddin, the governor of Helmand.