Anti-Taliban Fighters Briefly Seize Yaftal Payan District Center in First Major Capture Since 2021

KABUL - For the first time in nearly five years, a district center has been briefly seized from the Taliban by an armed opposition group, dealing a symbolic blow to the regime and exposing the fragility of its control in Tajik-majority border areas .

A newly emerged group calling itself Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Homeland Soldiers Front) or Jabhah-e Sepahan-e Mihan (Homeland Guardians Front) claimed it successfully overran the Yaftal Payan district center in Badakhshan province during an overnight operation on July 16-17 .

The Operation

Local sources reported that heavy gunfire erupted around 2:00 AM local time as fighters stormed the district headquarters . The attackers reportedly disarmed Taliban personnel, chanted anti-Taliban slogans, and raised a blue flag before withdrawing to their hideouts .

The group claimed that more than 15 Taliban fighters were killed during the assault . The attackers also reportedly seized weapons and ammunition from the district center before retreating without taking casualties . At the height of the operation, the district center remained under opposition control until dawn .

Significance of the Capture

This is the first time an armed opposition group has claimed to capture a district center from the Taliban since they regained power in August 2021, even temporarily . Yaftal Payan is located approximately 17 kilometers from Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province .

Badakhshan, which shares borders with Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan, has experienced periodic clashes between Taliban forces and opposition fighters since 2021 . The region is predominantly Tajik, and opposition activity has often been linked to ethnic tensions and cross-border dynamics with Tajikistan.

Taliban Response and Denials

Pro-Taliban accounts dismissed the reports as false rumors, claiming that arrests had been made, including that of a commander named Abdul Qayyum Malang, who is reportedly the group's military leader . However, the Taliban had not issued an official statement on the claims at the time of reporting, and the reports could not be independently verified .

Local sources also suggested that some local Taliban members dissatisfied with the regime may have cooperated with the opposition during the attack , pointing to internal fractures within the Taliban's governance structure.

If confirmed, the capture marks the most significant opposition military achievement in years, highlighting persistent resistance in Tajik-majority areas near the Tajik border. It also underscores the continued inability of the Taliban to fully suppress armed opposition groups in Afghanistan's northern provinces.