KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The National Resistance Front (NRF) says its fighters killed at least 17 Taliban members and wounded five others in an overnight attack on a Taliban base in Panjshir province.
In a statement, the armed anti-Taliban group said its forces carried out the “complex and targeted” operation late Sunday in Dara district. The NRF said the attack targeted a Taliban base in the Abdullah Khil Valley, adding that those killed included the chief of staff of a battalion under the Taliban Ministry of Defense’s Special Brigade.
According to the statement, the operation was carried out in two stages, beginning with the detonation of a planted explosive device, followed by several rocket attacks that completely destroyed the Taliban base.
The NRF added that none of its fighters were killed or injured in the operation.
Taliban authorities have not commented on the attack.
Local sources in Panjshir earlier reported hearing a powerful explosion near the area where the base is located. They said Taliban forces later searched nearby homes following the blast.
The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, son of the late anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, is largely composed of former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The group emerged after the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and has since claimed hundreds of attacks on Taliban forces, particularly in Panjshir, Kabul, and neighboring provinces.
Panjshir, north of Kabul, remains one of the main centers of armed resistance to the Taliban and has been the scene of repeated clashes between the Taliban forces and anti-Taliban fighters. The NRF and the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) have maintained activities there despite Taliban crackdowns.
Since taking control of Panjshir, the Taliban have detained, tortured, and killed many residents, accusing them of supporting armed resistance groups or possessing weapons.
