KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an armed anti-Taliban group, claimed to have killed nine Taliban members and wounded several others in three separate attacks in the capital Kabul and northern Baghlan province.
In statements on Monday, the AFF said that all the attacks took place on Sunday, February 18.
In the first attack in Kabul, the AFF said that its ‘freedom fighters’ executed a targeted operation in Charahi Gul Surkh, located in the 4th district, killing three Taliban members and injuring two others.
According to the AFF, this Taliban checkpoint had recently terrorized civilians by firing upon passenger vehicles and subjecting women and girls to harassment and intimidation under the guise of security checks.
AFF had previously carried out attacks in the same neighborhood, citing Taliban brutality and harassment against civilian populations.
In another attack in Kabul, the AFF said its fighters targeted a Taliban checkpoint in Panjshir Watt, located in the 11th district of Kabul, killing four Taliban members and injuring two others.
According to the AFF statement, this checkpoint recently opened fire on a civilian vehicle, resulting in the deaths and injuries of young people from Panjshir province.
In the third attack in Pul-e-Khomri, the capital city of northern Baghlan province, the AFF said its fighters launched a guerrilla attack on a Taliban outpost in Baghe Madan village, killing two Taliban members and injuring one other.
Taliban officials have yet to comment on these attacks.
The AFF, largely formed of former security forces, has engaged in armed clashes with the Taliban since the group’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Recently, it has intensified its guerrilla attacks against the Taliban in several provinces of Afghanistan, including in Kabul.
Unlike other anti-Taliban military and political opposition groups trying to control the media and public space and solicit international political and diplomatic alliances, the AFF’s leadership has kept a low profile and remained vague. It is believed that Mohammad Yasin Zia, the former ANDSF’s Chief of Personnel and former deputy director of national intelligence is leading the group.
In the past weeks, the armed anti-Taliban group has claimed to have killed and injured dozens of Taliban members in Kabul, Parwan, Baghlan, Balkh, Panjshir, and Kapisa provinces.
Last Sunday, the AFF claimed to have executed a targeted attack on a Taliban outpost in the second district of Kabul city, killing and wounding five Taliban members.
On February 12, it claimed to have launched an attack on the Taliban’s police headquarters in Charikar city, the capital of Parwan province, killing and injuring seven Taliban members, including their commander.
