Taliban Official Killed Amidst Ongoing Violence in Afghanistan
On Thursday, Habibur Rahman Mansour, a senior Taliban figure, lost his life in clashes between Taliban forces and “rebel commanders” in northern Afghanistan. This marked the second Taliban official to be killed in Badakhshan in just a few weeks.
Mansour, who served as the mayor of Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, died when a bomb exploded while he was driving through the city. There weren’t many details released by the Taliban Interior Ministry about the incident.
Badakhshan has been the territory of a “rebel commander” called Juma Khan Fateh. He has actively rallied his followers to oppose the Taliban. Just a day earlier, Fateh had sent out a voice message urging people to prepare for conflict, saying, “Send greetings to the people. Let the people start a war.”
Reports suggest that fighting between Fateh’s forces and the Taliban has already erupted in multiple districts of Badakhshan.
Local sources indicated that Afghanistan International reported on Friday that a “large-scale operation” was initiated against Taliban positions that were first attacked by Fateh’s fighters. This operation involved helicopter support and reinforcements sent from Kabul.
In retaliation, Taliban forces have been reportedly detaining local residents who are suspected of aiding Fateh.
Moreover, there seems to be significant unrest among Taliban leaders regarding the aggressive operations against Fateh. Some, including deputy intelligence chief Tajmir Jawad, faced criticism for provoking an uprising in Badakhshan with their approach.
Jawad was said to have dispatched roughly 300 troops from the Badri 313 Taliban “special forces” to disarm Fateh and his men. However, Fateh’s fighters used their familiarity with the local landscape and community support to inflict heavy casualties on Taliban soldiers, even managing to shoot down at least one helicopter.
Officials relayed to Afghanistan International that there were concerns about the necessity of capturing or killing Fateh. They feared that failing to do so might project weakness on the Taliban’s part, potentially inciting further uprisings in other remote regions of Afghanistan.
Interestingly, Fateh, a former Taliban commander, had stepped down from his position as deputy governor of Zabul province in July. While he maintained that he had no issues with the Islamic Emirate—another name for the Taliban regime—he expressed his frustration regarding some individuals in Badakhshan exploiting the situation and voiced concerns over communication barriers hindering his work.
He pointed out that the challenges faced by the impoverished province were being overlooked by the government in Kabul, citing the loss of jobs for numerous fighters as a significant issue.
It’s worth noting that Badakhshan shares a border with Tajikistan, and many residents are of Tajik descent, including Fateh. In contrast, most high-ranking Taliban officials come from the Pashtun ethnic group, leading to tensions with Tajikistan.
On Friday, Tajikistan lodged a formal diplomatic protest against the Taliban over breaches of territorial integrity amid sectarian violence in Badakhshan. The complaint highlighted that Taliban aircraft had crossed into Tajik airspace during the clashes and that stray gunfire had tragically caused the death of a young woman in a border province.
Fateh is also reportedly taking a tough stance regarding accusations that the Taliban is benefiting from illegal gold mining operations in northern Afghanistan. In fact, several of his allies and family members were arrested during a crackdown on these mines earlier in May.
This violence isn’t isolated. Just last month, another Taliban official, Zabihullah Amiri, was killed while he was en route to Faizabad. Attacked by gunmen on motorcycles, the specifics of his death remain unclear, as there has been no formal identification of the attackers or a solid explanation for Amiri’s assassination. He was serving as the Taliban’s head of information and culture at the time of his death.
