Sources told Afghanistan International that senior Taliban leaders in Kabul are divided over the fighting in Nusay, Badakhshan, amid criticism of the group's deputy chief of intelligence Tajmir Jawad’s handling of the operation.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has accused the Taliban of supporting terror groups and allowing Afghan territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries, including Pakistan.
Tajikistan has lodged a formal protest with the Taliban over what it described as a violation of its airspace and territorial integrity during fighting across the border in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, which left a 21-year-old woman dead and damaged residential properties.
The United Front of Afghanistan said on Friday, 14 August, that its forces had carried out three operations against Taliban forces in Helmand and Kandahar over the previous 24 hours.
Local sources told Afghanistan International that a Taliban military helicopter crashed on Thursday, 13 August, around central Nusay district in Badakhshan.
Lotfullah Hakimi, the Taliban Defence Ministry’s chief inspector, said recent armed opposition activity should be neutralised or reformed, noting that the Taliban itself began its fight against the US and former government with small clashes.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of hosting Taliban opponents and trying to provide them with offices and safe havens, while also blaming Islamabad for recent armed opposition activity in Badakhshan.
The National Resistance Front said the Taliban-appointed mayor of Faizabad in Badakhshan was killed in an attack by its forces. The group said the mayor’s guards were also killed.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says opposition groups are divided and pursue different goals, rejecting a political settlement with them and saying their return to power could take Afghanistan back to past conditions.
Local sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday that a vehicle carrying Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Mansour, the Taliban mayor of Faizabad in Badakhshan, was targeted in an explosion.
Local sources told Afghanistan International on Thursday, 13 August, that Taliban helicopters bombed positions held by Juma Khan Fateh’s fighters near the centre of Nusay district in Badakhshan.
As fighting intensifies between Taliban forces and fighters loyal to Juma Khan Fateh in Badakhshan, local sources say scattered gunfire has been heard in the centre of Nusay district since Thursday morning.
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan said it launched a rocket attack on a Taliban army corps in Kunduz on Wednesday evening, 12 August, describing the operation as successful.
Journalist Sami Yousafzai, citing Taliban officials in Badakhshan, reported that five Taliban members were killed and 16 wounded in clashes with forces loyal to Juma Khan Fateh in Nusay district.
Local sources in Badakhshan’s Nusay district told Afghanistan International that clashes between Taliban forces and fighters loyal to Juma Khan Fateh have reached areas near the district centre.
As fighting intensifies between Taliban forces and fighters loyal to Juma Khan Fateh in Nusay district of Badakhshan, local sources say internet access has been cut in parts of the district.
The Taliban’s Information and Culture Directorate in Nimroz said eight people had been detained on suspicion of membership in the Sepahiyan-e Mihan Front. Local sources said they had been deported from Iran about three weeks earlier.
Juma Khan Fateh, a dissident Taliban commander, confirmed on Wednesday that intense fighting was under way between his forces and the Taliban in Nusay district of Badakhshan, calling on his men and local residents to fight.
Andrei Grozin, head of the Central Asia department at the CIS Institute, said the risk of militant and international terrorist groups infiltrating from Afghanistan remains the main reason for annual military exercises in the region.
Iranian Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh arrived in Kabul on Wednesday, 12 August, leading a delegation for talks with Taliban officials and a visit to an agriculture and livestock exhibition.
The United Nations office in Kabul confirmed to Afghanistan International on Tuesday that two Afghan male UN employees were detained in Herat by Taliban intelligence on Sunday, 9 August.