New Anti-Taliban group claims brief seizure of Badakhshan district

Militants claim they briefly seized district headquarters, with videos showing fighters raising their flag

PESHAWAR:

A newly formed anti-Taliban group calling itself the Homeland Soldiers Front (HSF), also known as Sepahiyan-e-Mehan, in Dari has claimed responsibility for an attack on Yaftal Lower District in Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan Province here today on Friday. Local sources confirmed the seizure.

The importance of this district if that its located next to Faizabad, the capital of the Badakshan province.

According to the group, its fighters launched the assault early Friday morning and seized control of the district headquarters for several hours, Videos shared on social media appear to show armed men raising the group's flag over the government compound and firing celebratory gunshots.

"HSF claimed its fighters disarmed Taliban personnel stationed at the district center and seized a large cache of weapons and military equipment before withdrawing" the chief has claimed on social media.

The group said Qayum Malang, a former Afghan Republic-era commando from the same Yaftal District, led the operation. Following the fall of the previous government in 2021, Malang reportedly joined a commando unit of the National Resistance Front (NRF) under the leadership of Khalid Amiri from Parwan who was killed in the operations in the same district.

Images released by HSF show Malang alongside weapons the group says were captured during the raid.

The Homeland Soldiers Front has not previously announced its formation publicly, making this the first known attack it has claimed against the Taliban, with limited resistance from the Emirate e Islami Afghanistan forces.

There has been no independent confirmation of casualties or the extent of material losses during the local resistance group, The Taliban had cleared those who stood against the Emirate e Islami Afghanistan forces have been arrested alongside Malang who has been produced before the media.

The Malang ( the arrested Chief ) has announced their plans that we were trying to retain the centre and also extend our control on adjacent districts if local stands with us. Still, we failed to achieve the targets," he stated before the media.

After the fall, the Army Chief has visited the district, discredited the claims that a Tajik resistance group operates in the areas," there isn't any unrest in the province and no resistance groups are at war with Emirate e Islami "

The myth of Invisibility vanished

Even though the resistance group hasn't sustained for a longer period, but still the Emirate e Islami Afghanistan forces still can't withstand over two dozen lightly men, seized their position, lower the flag and also roamed around in Yaftal Lower district with a trumpet.

This is not the first anti-Taliban movement; resistance has been underway for some time. After the Taliban returned to power, Khalid Amiri formed the first group of resistance group, mainly in Parwan and Panjshir. Similar activity later emerged in Takhar, Baghlan and Kunduz, where groups and individuals joined forces to organise armed opposition against the Islamic Emirate, but couldn't.

More recently, a Tajik commander in Badakhshan, Jumma Khan also took up arms, but after Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob visited the province, the dispute was reportedly resolved through dialogue.

Whether this will be the last such incident remains unclear. Resistance to Taliban rule has gradually grown, and the belief that the group is invincible is weakening. Reports continue to emerge from Takhar, Panjshir, Baghlan and other provinces, though many receive little public attention because of Taliban media control.

The Taliban concentrated on Hazarajat, and Tajik population provinces, but waves of resistance may also arise from Nuristan and Kuner provinces.