Afghan Conflict: Russian Political Leader Meets With Massoud

[President Hassan Rouhani]

I'd like to see the Taliban try...

[Insaanistan]

NRF Reportedly Clashed With Taliban Three Times in the Past Two Weeks

The NRF critically wounded a number of Talibs by placing a mine outside the governor’s office in Takhar. The group also attacked a truck in Parwan province belonging to Shinwar’s district commander, inflicting “heavy casualties”. Finally, the group carried out an attack on the Taliban’s headquarters in Baharak, Takhar province, killing 4 and injuring 5.

[The Panjshir Valley]

The concerning thing is that I've encountered a little bit of chatter regarding possible affinity for the Taliban on the part of Balochs (Sunni) in Iran's Sistan & Baluchistan Province. Consider this in light of the concurrent Baloch separatist & Pakistani Taliban insurgencies in Pakistan, and what seems to be collaboration between the two despite the ideological (theocratic vs. secular) & ethnic (Pashtun vs Baloch) differences.

Since we know that both the Afghan & Pakistani Taliban are loyal to the same emir, it should be considered a possibility that the Taliban may have a project of inducing unrest through all of Balochistan across the two borders. This as part of an expansionist attempt to gain some command over the coastline. Sure, Iran has the standing to incite the same in Tajik-dominated Herat and the central Hazarajat provinces of Afghanistan. But this emirate believes its own invincibility narrative, so deterrents may fall flat with them.

We could be looking at regional turmoil, and this isn't even including the hostility between the Taliban & Tajikistan. As Bill Roggio pointed out, the bloodshed in Pakistan is not yet close to what was being spilled a decade ago. The ISI was still playing good Taliban - bad Taliban even at a body count of approximately 100,000 by that point. With that for comparison, things are actually somewhat calm in Pakistan in that dimension. It gets more hectic when we throw in the Imran Khan controversy and China apparently calling in its Belt & Road loans to Pakistan.

I think there're enough overlapping tensions & animosities here to precipitate a serious Asian war rivaling the Russo-Ukrainian War.

[Insaanistan]

Afghan Freedom Front Claima 6 Talib Casualities in Baghlan Attack

[Arvenia]

The concerning thing is that I've encountered a little bit of chatter regarding possible affinity for the Taliban on the part of Balochs (Sunni) in Iran's Sistan & Baluchistan Province. Consider this in light of the concurrent Baloch separatist & Pakistani Taliban insurgencies in Pakistan, and what seems to be collaboration between the two despite the ideological (theocratic vs. secular) & ethnic (Pashtun vs Baloch) differences.

Since we know that both the Afghan & Pakistani Taliban are loyal to the same emir, it should be considered a possibility that the Taliban may have a project of inducing unrest through all of Balochistan across the two borders. This as part of an expansionist attempt to gain some command over the coastline. Sure, Iran has the standing to incite the same in Tajik-dominated Herat and the central Hazarajat provinces of Afghanistan. But this emirate believes its own invincibility narrative, so deterrents may fall flat with them.

We could be looking at regional turmoil, and this isn't even including the hostility between the Taliban & Tajikistan. As Bill Roggio pointed out, the bloodshed in Pakistan is not yet close to what was being spilled a decade ago. The ISI was still playing good Taliban - bad Taliban even at a body count of approximately 100,000 by that point. With that for comparison, things are actually somewhat calm in Pakistan in that dimension. It gets more hectic when we throw in the Imran Khan controversy and China apparently calling in its Belt & Road loans to Pakistan.

I think there're enough overlapping tensions & animosities here to precipitate a serious Asian war rivaling the Russo-Ukrainian War.

I think the Taliban wants to create a larger state called Pashtunistan.

[The Panjshir Valley]

I think the Taliban wants to create a larger state called Pashtunistan.

Nah. To them, "Afghanistan" already implies Pashtun dominance. "Pashtunistan" is invoked by Khorasani separatists to recognize this and promote the secession of the non-Pashtun north.

You'll sometimes see maps by Taliban supporters which include Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and sometimes a map even with Pakistan's Balochistan province too. If that were to somehow play out, it would indeed grant the emirate a coastline.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary Invited to Speak With Canada’s Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee

Members expressed a need to back democratic and popularly accepted rule in Afghanistan.

UN Says Reported Taliban Actions in Panjshir Amount to War Crimes

[Bahrimontagn]

I think the Taliban wants to create a larger state called Pashtunistan.

Nah. To them, "Afghanistan" already implies Pashtun dominance. "Pashtunistan" is invoked by Khorasani separatists to recognize this and promote the secession of the non-Pashtun north.

You'll sometimes see maps by Taliban supporters which include Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and sometimes a map even with Pakistan's Balochistan province too. If that were to somehow play out, it would indeed grant the emirate a coastline.

Was Ghani's wet dream.

NRF Spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary Invited to Speak With Canada’s Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee

Members expressed a need to back democratic and popularly accepted rule in Afghanistan.

UN Says Reported Taliban Actions in Panjshir Amount to War Crimes

The whole democracy thing did not work last time, doubt it will again.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Claima to Have Killed Two Talibs in Parian Province

Talib Commander Maulavi Yaqub Reportedly Killed by NRF in Kunduz

700 Taliban Camps/Checkpoints Have Been Established in Panjshir Province

NRF Warn Taliban Will Destabilize All of Central Asia

Taliban, NRF Deny Allegations of Using Child Soldiers

[Insaanistan]

NRF Attack Taliban in Kapisa a Day After a Similar Attack by the AFF in the Same Province

[Insaanistan]

NRF Attack Taliban in Kabul Province, Claim to Inflict “Heavy Casualties”

[Insaanistan]

1 Talib Killed, 2 Injured in NRF Attack in Baghlan Province

[Insaanistan]

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Interviews Ahmad Massoud on Belahf of the Aspen Institute

NRF Releases 4 Talib POWs in Badakhshan

Taliban Commander in Badakhshan Allegedly Defects to the NRF
Local sources in the province reported this, neither the NRF nor the Taliban have yet commented.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Condemns Taliban Restrictions of Muharram Ceremonies

The National Resistance Front and Afghanistan’s Shiā Ūlema have condemned the Taliban’s edicts restricting Shiā Muslim ceremonies commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussayn (A). Ahmad Massoud, leader of the NRF, has criticized the move, stating that the commemoration of Hussayn’s martyrdom was a reminder for all Muslims that they must be committed to standing up to oppression and tyranny.

Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum similarly weighed in, condemning what he characterized as proof that Taliban did not want to promote an inclusive Afghanistan.

[Imperial Haiti]

Nah. To them, "Afghanistan" already implies Pashtun dominance. "Pashtunistan" is invoked by Khorasani separatists to recognize this and promote the secession of the non-Pashtun north.

You'll sometimes see maps by Taliban supporters which include Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and sometimes a map even with Pakistan's Balochistan province too. If that were to somehow play out, it would indeed grant the emirate a coastline.

Was Ghani's wet dream.

NRF Spokesman Ali Maisam Nazary Invited to Speak With Canada’s Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee

Members expressed a need to back democratic and popularly accepted rule in Afghanistan.

UN Says Reported Taliban Actions in Panjshir Amount to War Crimes

The whole democracy thing did not work last time, doubt it will again.

Neither the US neither the rest of the West should try to create pro-democracy movements in places which do not want democracy. Not everybody wants to live like us. However, if there are people in those countries who do want democracy and are known to have a significant following, we should help them. My opinion.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Carries Out Two Attacks in Kapisa
One attack led to 3 Taliban casualties. The other, the NRF says, was carried out using rockets on a Taliban base in the same province, and led to “heavy casualties”. The group has not specified the exact number.

The group also claimed to have inflicted “heavy casualties” in a separate attack in Baghlan province. These attacks come days after reported NRF attacks in Nuristan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces.

[Insaanistan]

IS-K Use Propaganda With Hope of Attracting NRF Fighters
The Afghan Branch of the Islamic State (DAESH) terrorist group has released propaganda targeted towards members of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. The statements claimed that the West had abandoned the NRF to the Taliban, and that its fighters should join IS-K and abandon the Republican cause.

Unconfirmed Reports That in a Recent Attack in Kapisa, NRF Fighters Discovered Pakistani IDs
Though unconfirmed, this allegation is unsurprising: though there is an Afghan branch of the Taliban and a Pakistani one, the Afghan Taliban has long had a large number of Pakistani nationals in its ranks.

[Bahrimontagn]

Though unconfirmed, this allegation is unsurprising: though there is an Afghan branch of the Taliban and a Pakistani one, the Afghan Taliban has long had a large number of Pakistani nationals in its ranks.

Idk, they could be, like many Afghans, former residents of Pakistan. I mean how do we even know these are the documents of actual Taliban fighters? We all know how in the post-invasion era how anti-taliban militias would falsely capture Taliban members.

[Insaanistan]

Though unconfirmed, this allegation is unsurprising: though there is an Afghan branch of the Taliban and a Pakistani one, the Afghan Taliban has long had a large number of Pakistani nationals in its ranks.

Idk, they could be, like many Afghans, former residents of Pakistan. I mean how do we even know these are the documents of actual Taliban fighters? We all know how in the post-invasion era how anti-taliban militias would falsely capture Taliban members.

We don’t know, hence why I said they were unconfirmed.

[Insaanistan]

NRF Claim to Have Killed 4 Talibs in Attack in Kabul District

[Insaanistan]

NRF Claims to Have Killed 2 Talibs in Attack in Badakhshan
Reportedly, the NRF members recovered a couple Kalashnikovs following the attack.

Another Clash in Badakhshan Left 4 Talibs, 1 NRF Fighter Dead

This attack was in Shuhada District. The NRF says they also captured 7 Talibs in this skirmish.

The National Council of Resistance to Save Afghanistan Mark Taliban Massacre

The Turkey-based group marked a massacre in Mazar-i-Sharif when the Taliban murdered Hazara men and boys on the grounds that their profession of Shiā Islam made them non-Muslims.

The Taliban Warn Panjshir Miners to Stop Helping the Resistance

The Taliban have warned miners in the mountainous Panjshir region, where the National Resistance Front is based, not to allow NRF fighters to enter the area where mining is taking place. Part of the agreement the Taliban has with these miners is that they keep their jobs so long as they do not aid the resistance, and 20% of everything they mine goes directly to the Taliban.

[Insaanistan]

National Resistance Front Kills 3 Talibs in Badakhshan’s Jurm District

NRF Condemn Global Approach to the Taliban

The group condemned the strategy taken up by the international community towards the group that has been governing the majority of Afghanistan for two years now. On the anniversary of the Taliban takeover, the group issued a statement saying appeasing the Taliban meant trampling on human rights and morality, and that the resistance, whether military or civil, of Afghans against the Taliban, was legitimate. The NRF also insisted that it was a capable military opposition to the Taliban.

[Insaanistan]

Series of Clashes Across Badakhshan
12 Talibs and 1 National Resistance Front Member were killed in a clash in Shuhada District of Badakhshan, local sources say. An additional 4 Talibs were injured. The Taliban force had apparently been sent to Badakhshan to deal with the rise in NRF attacks there. Meanwhile, in Badakhshan Province’s Jurm District, the NRF reportedly set fire to a Taliban vehicle and confiscated their weapons.

Currently, a battle between the NRF and the Taliban is ongoing in Badakhshan’s Baharak District.

Resistance Groups Carry Out Attacks Throughout the North

The Afghan Freedom Front reportedly killed 4 Talibs and injured 6 in an attack in Kabul Province. Meanwhile, the NRF carried out an attack in Takhar using a mine that killed 2 Talibs and injured 2, but unfortunately also injured 2 civilians, leading to rare Taliban confirmation that the incident took place.

[Insaanistan]

Local Sources: Taliban Kill Three NRF Fighters, Take Two Prisoner

This comes as the number of Taliban-Resistance clashes has skyrocketed in Afghanistan, with Badakhshan province being the center of it in recent weeks. The largely Tajik region borders neighboring Tajikistan, where NRF leaders such as Ahmad Massoud reportedly have taken up residence. In most cases, the Taliban doesn’t comment on such clashes, but groups that monitor global clashes have been to take notice.

Meanwhile, The Taliban Barred Badakhshan Residents from mourning the deaths of National Resistance Front Fighters killed in the recent clashes. Reportedly, women were beat by the Talibs, and mourners were ordered to bury the bodies without performing the Islamic prayer traditional said during funerals.

[Insaanistan]

1 Talib Killed, 2 Injured in NRF Attack in Parwan
This came days after an attack by the Afghan Freedom Front in the same Province.

3 Talibs Killed and Injured in Attack in Takhar

There were way more attacks than this that I just forgot to report. Sorry!

The Diplomat: The Reality of the Situation in Northern Afghanistan

Poorly equipped and constantly on the move, Taliban fighters in Northern Afghanistan tell reporters that they’re constantly followed by Tajikistan’s solders on the other side of the border, and that they’re on the lookout for “opponents”, by which they soon clarify they mean “the resistance”. The Talibs’ comments expressing worry about National Resistance Front attacks and downplaying the threat of foreign jihadists seems to directly contradict what Taliban officials project on the world stage. These Talibs near the border seem incredibly scared of a resistance attack, and appear to have succumbed to paranoia. One unleashed a volley of bullets on a snake he spotted, an action even another Talib agreed was unnecessary. Another Talib laughed as he told reporters from The Diplomat about an incident where some Talibs mistook another group of Talibs for NRF fighters and went so far as to lay out a trap for them before they realized their mistake, apparently seeing humor in a nearly detrimental situation.