KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The National Resistance Front (NRF), an armed anti-Taliban group, has claimed to have killed and injured at least 19 Taliban members since the beginning of September.
In multiple statements, the NRF stated that its “freedom fighters” conducted these attacks in Herat and Takhar provinces, killing at least 13 Taliban members and injuring 6 others.
According to the NRF statement, the latest attack occurred yesterday in Taleqan, the capital city of Takhar, killing three Taliban intelligence agents and wounding another.
The NRF reported five additional attacks in the past four days, including three in Herat and two in Takhar, with one attack involving rocket strikes on the Taliban police headquarters in the Bangi district of Takhar province.
The armed resistance group stated that its forces suffered no harm during these operations.
Taliban officials have yet to comment on these attacks. The regime has previously avoided commenting on similar attacks in an effort to downplay the impact of armed resistance groups and their activities in Afghanistan.
The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud and composed largely of former Afghan security forces, along with the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), has engaged in deadly battles with the Taliban, particularly in the northern and northeastern provinces.
In recent months, these armed opposition groups have intensified their guerrilla attacks against the Taliban across several provinces, including the capital city of Kabul.
In his recent interview with CNN, NRF leader Ahmad Massoud said that his group has approximately 5,000 fighters and has conducted 207 operations against the Taliban this year.
He reaffirmed his commitment to defeating the Taliban “no matter the odds,” without the interference of international forces, but requested resources to help his NRF battle not only the Taliban but also 20 other extremist groups in Afghanistan.
“We need any kind of support that will allow us to defeat this group. We believe we have capable forces who were trained for 20 years to pursue counterterrorism. For this reason, we are asking for resources instead of foreign forces to liberate our country,” Massoud said.
“Our fight isn’t just for Afghanistan; it’s for global security. Any nation that perceives terrorism as a threat must recognize the strategic necessity of supporting our cause and efforts,” he added.
