ISLAMABAD: An anti-Taliban armed group claimed on Friday that it briefly captured Yaftal district in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province after launching an attack that killed more than 15 Taliban fighters.
The group, Jabhah-e Sepahan-e Mihan (Homeland Guardians Front), said its fighters seized control of the district for several hours before withdrawing.
راپورونه: مخالفو وسله والو په بدخشان کې د طالبانو یفتل ولسوالي نیولې ده
ځایي سرچینې وایي، بدخشان کې د طالبانو پر یفتل ولسوالۍ د مخالفو وسله والو برید شوی دی.
راپورونه وايي چې یاده ولسوالي د څو ساعتونو لپاره د وسله والو په کنټرول کې وه.
د سرچینو په وینا، بریدګرو د ولسوالۍ له… pic.twitter.com/uZgecERU9i
— ABN Pashto (@afbnpashto) July 17, 2026
Local sources also reported that armed opposition fighters overran the district centre in Yaftal, which they said remained under their control for a few hours.
According to the sources, the attackers also seized weapons, ammunition and other military equipment from the district headquarters before leaving the area.
#BREAKING: Yaftal District of Badakhshan was taken from the Taliban control for a few hours this morning. This is the first time in five years that opposition groups can take control of a district from the Taliban. pic.twitter.com/FU9Xgs9fyu
— Tajuden Soroush (@TajudenSoroush) July 17, 2026
It is the first time in nearly five years that an armed opposition group has claimed to have taken control of a district from the Taliban, even temporarily.
The Taliban had not commented on the claims at the time of publication, and the reports could not be independently verified.
Badakhshan, which borders Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, has witnessed sporadic clashes between Taliban forces and armed opposition groups since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Local residents told Afghanistan International that after taking control of the district, the attackers disarmed Taliban forces, took military equipment and government vehicles with them, and left the area.
The attackers held control of the district for several hours.
Yaftal Payan district is located near the city of Fayzabad and is considered one of the important and strategic areas of Badakhshan province. The residents of this district have always played a significant role in the political developments and local power structures of Badakhshan.
