KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) forces and the Taliban regime fighters clashed in Badakhshan province’s Zebak district on Monday, according to local sources and the armed opposition group, as anti-Taliban armed groups intensify attacks across Afghanistan.
According to the sources, cited by Afghanistan International, the fighting began on Monday in Zebak district of Badakhshan. The Afghanistan Freedom Front also confirmed that its forces were engaged in clashes with the Taliban regime fighters in the district.
The armed resistance group said that its fighters in Zibak district have repelled a full-scale assault by the Taliban and their allied foreign militias.
The fighting between the two sides lasted for approximately one hour early this morning, Monday, September 7, 2026, Afghanistan Freedom Front stated.
Brave commandos of the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), stationed in Zibak District of Badakhshan Province, have repelled a full-scale assault by the Taliban and their allied foreign militias.
The fighting between the two sides lasted for approximately one hour early this… pic.twitter.com/LU38gRY23d— Afghanistan Freedom Front (@FREEDOMFRONTAFG) September 7, 2026
A resident living near the scene of the fighting told Afghanistan International that the clashes were “intense” and that Taliban regime forces had been seen moving through the area.
The source added that the Taliban had recently transported the body of one of its fighters from the site of the clashes towards the district centre.
Neither the Afghanistan Freedom Front nor the Taliban has yet reported any casualties from the clash.
The latest clashes follow weeks of fighting in Badakhshan, where the Freedom Front and other anti-Taliban armed groups have increased their operations against Taliban regime positions.
Fighting intensifies in Badakhshan
Zebak has emerged as a major focus of the Afghanistan Freedom Front’s armed campaign in recent months.
On August 31, the AFF said its forces had clashed with Taliban fighters in Zebak after Taliban regime forces attacked one of its positions. The armed group said its fighters launched a counterattack and pushed the Taliban back.
The AFF said the August 30 clash lasted about 30 minutes and that two wounded Taliban fighters had been taken to a district hospital. The Taliban did not comment on that incident.
Earlier, in July, the AFF claimed that at least 21 Taliban fighters, including several commanders, were killed and 37 wounded during an operation against Taliban positions in Zebak. The group said its forces had captured several positions and seized weapons and military equipment.
The Taliban confirmed that fighting had taken place but gave a substantially different account, saying five opposition fighters were killed.
The AFF’s political chief Daoud Naji said after the July fighting that the campaign against the Taliban had entered a “new phase”, signalling a shift towards more sustained fighting in Badakhshan.
Anti-Taliban groups expand operations
The fighting in Badakhshan is part of a broader increase in armed activity by several groups opposed to Taliban rule.
Afghanistan International reported on August 29 that three anti-Taliban fronts — the AFF, NRF and United Front of Afghanistan — had carried out at least 50 attacks across the country during July.
The report said the armed groups had increasingly moved beyond small guerrilla attacks towards more direct confrontations with Taliban forces.
The AFF claimed responsibility for 21 attacks in eight provinces between July 23 and August 22. Its operations were concentrated in Badakhshan, particularly Zebak, but also included attacks in Baghlan, Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Faryab, Nuristan and Panjshir.
The United Front, led by former Afghan special forces commander Sami Sadat, has also claimed a growing number of operations.
On September 1, the group said it had carried out 43 operations against the Taliban in 14 provinces over the previous month, claiming that 74 Taliban members were killed and 35 wounded. Those figures have not been independently verified.
The National Resistance Front has reported attacks in several northern and western provinces, including Badakhshan, Kunduz, Herat and Baghlan.
Resistance Front attacks on Taliban positions
The National Resistance Front (NRF) has also remained active in Badakhshan.
In July, the group claimed that its fighters killed one Taliban member and wounded two others in an attack on a security outpost in Karan wa Marjan district.
On August 13, the NRF claimed responsibility for an attack that killed Habib-ur-Rahman Mansour, the Taliban-appointed mayor of Faizabad, along with his guards.
Later, the Taliban killed NRF commander Hasib Panjshiri and other members of his group in northern Salang on August 20.
Badakhshan has become one of the main centres of anti-Taliban armed activity since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
