KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Borders, Ethnicities and Tribes says that a dispute between Kochis and local residents of Punjab district in Bamyan province has been resolved through negotiations.
Armed Kochis attacked the village of Tobak in the Poshta-e Gharghari area of Punjab district on Tuesday (June 16), clashing with local residents and beating and injuring three farmers.
In a statement issued today (Wednesday, June 17), the Taliban’s Ministry of Borders, Ethnicities and Tribes confirmed that two people were injured in the clash and said that the dispute had been resolved through negotiations following the deployment of a delegation.
The ministry did not provide details on how the dispute was resolved. However, a local source in Punjab district told KabulNow newspaper that the Taliban delegation instructed the Kochis to leave Punjab with their livestock as soon as possible. The Kochis, however, requested an additional five days, and the Taliban delegation agreed to the request.
The source said that the Kochis may still not leave Punjab within the next five days, noting that they had requested a three-day extension last week but have yet to depart.
According to the source, the Taliban criticized local residents of Punjab for gathering in opposition to the Kochis, saying that “their gathering amounts to mobilization against the Kochis.”
The source added that the Taliban delegation paid no attention to the individuals who had been injured by the Kochis.
Three farmers identified as Mohammad Hussain, Jafar, and Ali Dad were beaten and injured by armed Kochis yesterday (Tuesday, June 16) in the village of Tobak in the Poshta-e Gharghari area.
According to sources, the three men were “beaten nearly to death” by armed Kochis when they attempted to prevent Kuchi herds from entering and damaging their farmland.
Sources said that the Kochis then stormed villagers’ homes and opened fire on houses, forcing a number of families to flee their homes.
Images obtained by KabulNow show visible wounds, injuries, and bruises on the bodies of all three men.
Ten days earlier, five residents of the Zarsang area of Punjab district were also injured in an attack by Kochis.
Kuchis are traditionally nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoral communities in Afghanistan who migrate seasonally with their livestock in search of grazing land and water. For decades, disputes have occurred between Kuchis and settled communities, particularly in the central highlands, over access to land, pastures, and natural resources.
These tensions have been especially pronounced in Hazara-populated areas, where local residents have frequently accused armed Kuchi groups of encroaching on farmland, damaging crops, and engaging in violence. The issue remains one of the most sensitive and longstanding land and resource conflicts in Afghanistan.
Every year with the arrival of spring, Kochis move with their livestock to the central regions of Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s return to power, the arrival of Kochis in Hazara-populated areas has become a source of growing tension and crisis.
In addition to the destruction of farmland and grazing areas, local residents report facing harassment, intimidation, and violence by Kochis. In recent years, several local residents have reportedly been killed in incidents involving Kochis.
