KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s police command in Badakhshan has confirmed that several people were injured during protests in Yaftal-e Payeen district, following reports of a violent crackdown on demonstrators. However, the group has not disclosed the number of casualties.
According to the Taliban’s police command, the incident began on Saturday (August 1) after a man and a woman riding a motorcycle were stopped at a checkpoint in the Sang Ab area of Yaftal-e Payeen district on suspicion of transporting narcotics.
The command said that as Taliban personnel attempted to inspect the motorcycle and the couple’s belongings, the man fled the scene and later alleged that Taliban forces had conducted a body search of the woman accompanying him.
The Taliban claimed that following the allegation, a number of local residents, “without being aware of the details of the incident,” attacked the security checkpoint, resulting in injuries to several people.
The police command also alleged that “malicious individuals” were behind the unrest and had attempted to exploit public emotions to undermine security.
The Taliban’s account comes after local sources reported that residents of Yaftal-e Payeen staged protests after Taliban forces allegedly conducted a body search of a local woman. According to those sources, Taliban fighters opened fire on the demonstrators.
Some local sources have reported that at least three protesters were killed and seven others were wounded in the shooting. BBC Persian, citing its own sources, reported that the death toll had risen to four.
Videos circulating on social media appear to capture the sound of sustained gunfire during the protests and show residents carrying away several bloodied individuals. The authenticity of the footage and the reported casualty figures have not been independently verified.
Independent sources have not yet confirmed the full details of the incident or the reported casualties.
Yaftal-e Payeen district has witnessed growing unrest in recent weeks, alongside an increase in attacks by armed anti-Taliban groups. On July 17, a newly formed anti-Taliban group known as Sepahian-e Mihan, or Soldiers of the Homeland, briefly seized control of Yaftal-e Payeen district. The incident marked the first reported temporary loss of a district by the Taliban since it returned to power in 2021.
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, multiple opposition armed groups were formed, with many still actively fighting in various provinces. The NRF and AFF, largely composed of former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, have been particularly active in Kabul city, Panjshir province, and the northern regions of the country.
They have carried out guerrilla-style operations against the Taliban and claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks in recent years, saying they have killed and wounded hundreds of Taliban members across the country.
While the Taliban generally downplays the activities of such opposition groups and rarely provides detailed comments on individual attacks, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) regularly tracks and reports security incidents involving anti-Taliban groups in its quarterly updates to the U.N. Security Council.
