KABUL: Anti-Taliban resistance groups have claimed responsibility for at least 15 attacks on Taliban positions across nine Afghan provinces over the past week, saying the operations killed nearly 30 members of the Taliban.
The attacks were reportedly carried out in Badakhshan, Kunduz, Baghlan, Kabul, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Kandahar and Helmand, according to claims issued separately by several armed opposition groups.
The Taliban has not publicly commented on the reported attacks or the casualty figures claimed by the resistance groups. The Taliban authorities, however, continue to maintain that security has been established throughout Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), the United Front of Afghanistan (UFA) and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) have each claimed responsibility for attacks in different parts of the country.
The AFF said it had carried out several operations in different provinces over the past 10 days, claiming that at least 12 Taliban members were killed.
The UFA separately claimed responsibility for eight attacks targeting Taliban positions over the past week. The group said at least 14 Taliban members were killed in the operations.
The NRF also claimed two attacks in Herat and Badakhshan during the same period, saying three Taliban members were killed.
The reported increase in attacks comes amid claims by analysts that armed opposition groups are exerting greater military pressure on the Taliban, while growing discontent with the country’s political and security situation may be creating greater space for resistance groups.
According to Bismillah Taban, a security affairs analyst, opposition groups had gained greater access to resources and social support and were increasingly able to attract public backing.
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Mr Taban said growing frustration among Afghans over the current situation had contributed to what he described as a significant decline in the Taliban’s social support base.
The latest claims also come ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power on August 15. Earlier, the US military publication Military reported that resistance groups had intensified attacks in several parts of Afghanistan as the anniversary approached.
Despite the reported attacks, the Taliban continues to assert that it has brought nationwide security under control since returning to power in August 2021.
The latest developments suggest that, although the Taliban retains control of Afghanistan’s state institutions and territory, armed opposition groups remain active in several parts of the country and are seeking to demonstrate their ability to challenge Taliban positions.
