Taliban detain seven members in Badakhshan on ISIS links

Taliban intelligence has detained seven Taliban members in northeastern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on allegations of links to ISIS’s regional affiliate, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Those detained include individuals holding a range of positions within the Taliban’s military and civilian structures in the province, among them commanders and administrative officials, sources said.

The detainees include a company commander in a communications unit of the Taliban Defense Ministry, a publications officer in a border unit, three officers, and a former head of the state-run radio and television station in Badakhshan, the sources said.

The arrests were carried out two days ago, and most of the detainees have since been transferred to Kabul, according to the sources. One individual was released on bail after mediation by a senior Taliban military official in the province.

Among those detained are Abdullah Rahmani, a unit commander in a Defense Ministry communications battalion, and Faisal al-Badr al-Hashimi, a publications officer, the sources said. Others include Suhaib Khorasani, Haroon Hashimi, Jubair Hashimi, Abdul Majid Ahmadi and Osama Burhani, a former director of Badakhshan’s radio and television service who is now said to be working at the provincial university.

Sources said Burhani has since been released, while six others remain in custody in Kabul.

Relatives of the detainees denied the allegations, saying the men had no links to ISIS and had been targeted in what they described as a “conspiracy.”

According to the sources, six of the detainees are from the same village in Jurm district and are known locally for holding Salafi religious views. They had previously engaged in activities such as shooting practice and mountaineering in remote areas, the sources said.

The arrests may also be linked to a recent attack in Faizabad, the provincial capital, in which a Taliban intelligence deputy and another member were targeted, the sources added.

Taliban have not publicly commented on the arrests or the arrests.