By Shumaila Aslam
Bureau Chief Pakistan
Snn News Finland
Taliban Drones Shot Down in Badakhshan, Anti-Taliban Group Claims
Two Taliban drones were shot down over Zebak district in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province on Saturday, according to the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an armed anti-Taliban group.
Afghanistan International first reported the claim, but no outside party has been able to verify it so far, and Taliban officials have offered no public response.
The reported incident is the latest flashpoint in several days of fighting between the AFF and Taliban forces in Zebak, a district that borders Pakistan’s Chitral region and has become a recurring site of armed opposition activity since the Taliban returned to power.
What the Afghanistan Freedom Front Says
Sources within the AFF told Afghanistan International that fighters shot down the two drones around midday on Saturday, July 25, while the aircraft were reportedly flying over territory the group says it controls.
Afghanistan International said it had seen images showing wreckage from the incident in a mountainous area.
A separate report, from Afghan Online Press, said the AFF described the drones as Taliban military aircraft targeted during ongoing operations in the district.
The AFF has not issued an official public statement specifically on the drone claim, and the details could not be independently verified.
Days of Clashes in Zebak District
The drone claim comes after three days of fighting in Zebak between AFF fighters and Taliban forces. The AFF said its operation began on Thursday, July 23, targeting Taliban bases and military positions from several directions, and that it pushed Taliban forces from high ground near a border post. The group said the Taliban made repeated attempts to retake the positions but failed.
By Friday, the AFF said its fighters had killed at least 21 Taliban members, including several commanders, and wounded 37 others, with one AFF fighter killed.
The Taliban’s account differs sharply: the 219th Omar-e-Salis Division, a Taliban unit in Badakhshan, said border forces killed five “attackers” who had entered Zebak from Pakistan’s Chitral region. Amu TV, which reported the Taliban statement, said it could not independently verify either side’s casualty figures.
Key Facts
- AFF claims it shot down two Taliban drones over Zebak district, Badakhshan, around midday on July 25.
- Neither the Taliban nor independent outlets have confirmed the drone claim.
- Clashes in Zebak between AFF and Taliban forces have continued for at least three days.
- AFF says it killed 21 Taliban fighters and wounded 37; Taliban say five “attackers” were killed.
- A separate group, Sepah-e Mihan Front, briefly took over a district building in Yaftal-e-Sufla earlier in July.
FAQs:
Who is the Afghanistan Freedom Front?
It is an armed group opposing Taliban rule in Afghanistan, active in recent months in Badakhshan province.
Where is Zebak district?
Zebak is in southeastern Badakhshan province, along the border with Pakistan’s Chitral region.
Has the Taliban confirmed the drone downing?
No. As of this report, the Taliban had not publicly responded to the specific claim about the two drones.
Are casualty figures from the fighting verified?
No independent outlet has confirmed the casualty numbers given by either the AFF or the Taliban; both accounts remain unverified.
Is this the first clash in the area?
No this is one of several such incidents in Badakhshan over recent months, including an earlier episode in the Yaftal-e-Sufla district.
Wider Instability in Badakhshan
The fighting in Zebak follows a separate incident earlier in July, when a newly formed group called the Sepah-e Mihan Front briefly seized the district administration building, police headquarters, and a Taliban intelligence office in Yaftal-e-Sufla, another Badakhshan district, before withdrawing hours later.
Afghanistan International also reported internal Taliban tensions in the province, noting that Juma Khan Fateh, a Taliban commander in Nusay who had reportedly clashed with the group’s leadership, returned to Badakhshan after time in Kabul, following mediation by senior Taliban officials.
ongoing Taliban-AFF clashes in Badakhshan”
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