Less than a month before the five-year anniversary of the Taliban retaking power in Afghanistan, the Islamist regime lost control of the Yaftal-e Payeen district capital in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. The disruption was temporary, but it nevertheless marked the first time the Taliban lost control of a district center since returning to power in August 2021.
Reports from Badakhshan also indicated internal clashes among Taliban fighters and fatal attacks on high-ranking Taliban officials.
On August 2, some two weeks after the brief loss of the district center, former Afghan army general Sami Sadat ordered his forces to launch attacks against the Taliban across the country.
"Today at 5:00 AM, I ordered all military members of the United Front to begin military operations," General Sadat said in a video message released from the US, where he has lived since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Other armed groups, including the National Resistance Front led by the son of the late commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, have been engaged in a continuous armed struggle against the Taliban since 2021. While armed insurgents have not been able to pose a major threat to the Taliban's overall grip on power, experts are questioning whether the clashes in Badakhshan could pave the way for more impactful resistance.
