Reports from Afghanistan’s north-eastern Badakhshan province indicate that internal Taliban tensions have reached a peak.
Local sources said mediation efforts by the group’s leadership have failed, and Taliban army and intelligence units have been deployed to the province.
Juma Khan Fateh, a local Taliban commander leading the dissent in Badakhshan, has established round-the-clock checkpoints in areas under his control; despite previously saying he would not initiate an armed confrontation.
Meanwhile, the Taliban leadership has deployed hundreds of its special forces from Panjshir and other provinces to Badakhshan and is reportedly preparing a large-scale, multi-front operation. According to the latest information, the reinforcements have entered Shighnan district and began moving towards the Darwaz region, where Juma Khan is based, on Friday morning.
Sources said the Taliban has also established several security checkpoints on routes leading to Darwaz and has intensified efforts to disarm local fighters. According to the sources, the group is collecting weapons from Taliban members in Badakhshan who are not part of its formal military units.
The latest information indicates that Juma Khan Fateh is currently in Nusay district alongside his local forces.
Reports from Shighnan suggest that, because of the large number of reinforcements and a shortage of accommodation at military facilities, Taliban forces spent the night inside the district’s central hospital, occupying treatment areas intended for patients. With both sides reinforcing positions along the Shighnan-Darwaz axis, the security situation in the area has become increasingly tense.
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