Afghanistan: AFF’s Footprint – Analysis

On December 10, 2024, Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) targeted an intelligence checkpoint of the Taliban, killing four Taliban fighters and injuring two others, at Mustofiat Square in Herat city of Herat Province.

On December 10, 2024, AFF targeted a convoy of Taliban intelligence vehicles, killing three Taliban fighters and injuring one fighter in Pul-e-Guzargah area in the 7th Police District (PD) in Kabul city of Kabul Province.

On December 8, 2024, AFF attacked a Taliban urban patrol convoy led by Mullah Tari, killing two Taliban fighters and injuring two others, in Hesa Awal Kohistan District of Kapisa Province.

On December 3, 2024, AFF targeted the convoy of intelligence forces of the Taliban in Khair Khana area of Kabul, and killed five Taliban fighters. Two other Taliban fighters were also wounded in this attack, including Mawlawi Mubasher, one of the senior leaders of the Taliban’s Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

On December 3, 2024, AFF ambushed several vehicles carrying Taliban fighters, killing two fighters and injuring three others in the Qala-e-Khwaja area near Bagram Airfield in Chaharikar District of Parwan Province.

On November 21, AFF killed three Taliban fighters, including ‘deputy guard commander’ Mullah Zakir, and injured two others, targeting a post at the fourth entrance gate of Bagram airfield in Kabul.

On November 18, AFF killed two Taliban fighters and injured two others in a targeted attack on a military vehicle and a checkpoint in the ChaharQala e Chahar Dehi area in 6th Police District (PD) of Kabul.

On November 14, AFF conducted an operation against Taliban drug administration, killing a Taliban fighter and injuring two others, at First District in Maymana city of Faryab Province.

According to partial data collated by the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), since August 15, 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, 200 Taliban fighters have been killed, and 130 injured in 73 incidents by AFF (data till December 15, 2024).

However, as reported on September 12, 2024, AFF claims to have carried out 230 attacks against the Taliban in the last two years, resulting in the deaths of 600 Taliban members and injuries to 700 others.

The Manifesto of the AFF, published in September, 2024, lays out many of the group’s goals and principles. It reads,

The strategic vision of the AFF is to achieve a new social contract that meets the needs and requirements of building a prosperous society endowed with freedom, equality, and human dignity. This contract should be the result of comprehensive dialogues and settlements among all social and political groups of Afghanistan. The core principles of the AFF, as a progressive political-military organization, aimed at accomplishing the national mission of overthrowing the illegitimate Taliban rule and paving the way for establishing a new social contract reflecting the aspirations of all strata and ethnic groups of the country.

The AFF’s leadership council has approximately 50 figures who lead numerous committees ranging from foreign policy to cultural and religious matters. The council has representation from Tajik, Pashtun, Uzbek, and Hazara. Most of its fighters are former Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) members, which is why it claims its attacks are more precise and cause fewer civilian casualties.

As reported on November 22, 2224, Dauod Naji, head of the AFF’s Political Council stated, “It is our responsibility to liberate our brothers and sisters…However, we must do it responsibly so as not to harm civilians. We know that the Taliban is the mother of all other terrorist groups…Our fighters routinely collect intelligence or fight members of Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.”

The AFF gained visibility in March 2022, when it announced its formation on social media. AFF is led by General Yasin Zia, a former Defense Minister and Chief of General Staff. According to estimates of Institute for Conflict Management, AFF has claimed responsibility for attacks on the Taliban in provinces of Kapisa, Parwan, Kabul, Faryab, Takhar, Laghman, Kunduz, Baghlan among others.

In an interview, dated, December 1, 2024, Daoud Naji, head of Political Council of AFF stated that AFF primarily operates in the provinces of Balkh, Parwan, Baghlan, Takhar and Kapisa. But, AFF has also carried out attacks in Pashtun majority provinces of Kandahar and Laghman. According to Naji, AFF is providing hope to the common people of Afghanistan.

United Nations General Assembly’s, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, dated September 9, 2024 stated,

Between 14 May and 31 July, the armed opposition continued to pose no significant challenge to the Taliban’s hold on territorial control. The verified overall number of attacks by the two opposition groups, the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front, was 73. The Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front carried out 21 and 52 attacks, respectively. The perpetrators of an additional 19 attacks remained unidentified. A total of 58 attacks were carried out in the central region, including 46 in Kabul Province, followed by 15 attacks in the western, 11 in the north-eastern, 4 in the eastern, 2 in the northern and 2 in the southern regions.

As reported on December 13, AFF with its hit-and-run strategy, plans to keep on increasing military pressure on the Taliban and on the other hand strengthen the civil and social movement against the Taliban regime.

Yet, AFF currently do not control any significant territory in Afghanistan. The spate of AFF orchestrated targeted attacks on Taliban can be considered as an irritant, but there are no largescale attacks on the Taliban fighters. Proper fructification of AFF’s anti-Taliban plans will require a well thought out strategy and enormous increase of strength and capacity at the ground level. Sadly, dismantling of Taliban from Afghanistan is a far-fetched dream, with no certainty of success.