As many as 13 members of the Taliban and the National Resistance Front (NRF) were killed in recent clashes that erupted between the two sides in the northeastern Badakhshan province. Sayed Bahruddin, a commander of the NRF, is also among the fallen fighters, a source told Kabul Now.
The two sides clashed with each other last Monday, October 17, in Se Dara Shiwa area of Arghanj Khwa district, the source detailed. The source further noted that due to the heavy snowfall and the outage of telecommunication services, the media couldn’t reach to cover the incident on the same day.
According to the source, the Taliban have lost eight fighters and the NRF has lost five fighters, including its newly joined local commander Bahruddin, in these recent clashes.
Bahruddin had joined the NRF along with his 15 fighters recently in Yaftal district of Badakhshan.
The Taliban, however, have rejected any casualty on their part.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Taliban have deployed their fighters from Kohstan, Raghistan, Yawan, Baharak, and Warduj districts to launch operations in Arghanj Khwa district.
The Taliban and NRF, however, have not commented regarding these clashes officially.
NRF is a militia group formed of former security forces under the leadership of Ahmad Masoud, son of the Jihadi commander Ahmad Shah Masoud. The NRF has challenged the Taliban in deadly battles in Panjshir and Baghlan provinces many times since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
In recent months, the NRF has effectively expanded its military presence in the northern Takhar and Badakhshan provinces.
