KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an armed anti-Taliban group, claims to have carried out three attacks on the Taliban on Thursday, killing seven members, including a commander, and injuring seven others.
In statements posted on X, the armed group reported the attacks, stating that its “freedom fighters” carried out two successful operations against Taliban “terrorists” in Parwan province and one in Kabul city on Thursday, December 19.
In Parwan, the AFF stated that its fighters attacked the entrance gate of Bagram Airfield, killing four Taliban members, including a commander named Mullah Malang Helmandi, and injuring three others. In a separate attack in the Jabal al-Saraj district of Parwan province, two Taliban members were injured.
In Kabul, according to the statement, AFF fighters attacked the entrance gate of the Taliban’s sixth security district, killing three members and injuring two others.
The Taliban have not yet commented on these attacks.
The AFF, comprised largely of former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel and led by General Yasin Zia, was formed following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Since its formation, the group has engaged in numerous battles against the Taliban, particularly in Panjshir, Kabul, and surrounding provinces. The AFF claims to have killed hundreds of Taliban fighters over the past three years.
While the Taliban attempts to downplay the impact of the AFF and the National Resistance Front (NRF), another armed opposition group, reports, including those from the UN, show their growing capabilities and the escalation of attacks against the Taliban in recent months.
In his latest quarterly report on the situation in Afghanistan, released on December 12, UN Secretary-General António Guterres documented 81 verified attacks by armed anti-Taliban groups, including 56 NRF attacks and 18 AFF attacks, in the past three months. In his previous report, the UN Secretary-General had documented 73 attacks carried out by these groups.
In his report, the UN chief highlighted that these armed groups carried out 31 attacks in the capital city of Kabul, 61 attacks in the western region, 19 attacks in the north-eastern region, 4 in the northern region, and 1 in the south-eastern region.
However, the report did not document the number of casualties or the harm inflicted on the Taliban as a result of these attacks.
