KEY POINTS
- NRF says it killed 17 Taliban fighters and wounded five in Panjshir attack.
- The resistance group claims the dead include a Special Brigade battalion chief of staff.
- Local sources report up to 40 total casualties.
- The Taliban have moved additional units into Panjshir.
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front (NRF) says its fighters have killed at least 17 Taliban members and wounded five others in an overnight attack on a Taliban base in Panjshir province. The Taliban authorities in Kabul have not commented on the claim.
In a statement, the NRF said the operation was carried out late Sunday in Dara district’s Abdullah Khil Valley. The resistance group said the dead included the chief of staff of a battalion under the Taliban regime’s Ministry of Defence’s Special Brigade.
The group said the attack caused “complete destruction” of the Taliban base and that none of its fighters were killed or injured.
Local residents reported hearing a powerful explosion near the site, according to Afghan media. They said Taliban forces later searched nearby homes after the blast. According to Afghan media, independent confirmation is not possible because the Taliban tightly restrict access to Panjshir.
Explosives and rockets attack
According to the NRF, the assault was carried out in two phases. The resistance fighters first detonated a planted explosive device.
They then fired several rockets at the installation. The group described the base as a major Taliban position used to pressure civilians in nearby areas.
According to Afghan media reports, the attack began with a commercial quadcopter drone strike, followed by mortar and machine-gun fire.
Local sources, cited by Afghan media, cited a higher casualty figure of up to 40 in total to account for unverified injuries around the strike site, though these have not been independently confirmed.
The attack reportedly hit a Taliban checkpoint and staging area along a mountain transit route that the NRF has targeted repeatedly since mid-2025 as part of its shift to hit-and-fade tactics.
Use of modified commercial drones
According to Afghan media reports, the NRF has increased its use of modified commercial drones. These drones allow the group to strike Taliban units without exposing its limited fighters.
Taliban forces rely mainly on small-arms fire and basic jamming systems, which are less effective in Panjshir’s rugged terrain, according to Afghan media reports.
Early indications suggest a single munition-carrying quadcopter detonated near a group of Taliban fighters preparing for a sweep operation.
This matches the NRF’s recent pattern of targeting Taliban patrols before they move into contested side valleys.
Resistance groups in Panjshir
The Taliban have not issued a statement so far. However, movements of additional Taliban units into Panjshir overnight were observed by local residents.
Panjshir, north of Kabul, has long been a stronghold of resistance to the Taliban. The NRF is led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the late anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.
The group consists largely of former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.
The NRF emerged after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. It has since claimed hundreds of attacks in Panjshir, Kabul, and surrounding provinces. The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) is also active, despite Taliban crackdowns.
Rights groups say the Taliban have detained, tortured, and killed residents in Panjshir on accusations of aiding resistance forces, though the Taliban deny widespread abuses.
