Taliban, AFF peovide conflicting accounts of deadly clashes in Nuristan

Taliban authorities and the Afghanistan Freedom Front have reported heavy fighting in eastern Nuristan province in the east, offering conflicting accounts of casualties and control of territory.

Taliban officials said 28 opposition fighters were killed and 32 others detained in the clashes in Kamdesh district, but they did not disclose casualties among their own forces.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front, an anti-Taliban armed front, said five Taliban members were killed and 10 others wounded. It also claimed its fighters captured several Taliban checkpoints and took control of parts of Kamdesh district in Nuristan and neighboring Nari district in Kunar province.

Taliban officials said the fighting began when a group of about 400 armed men attempted to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan.

Mohammad Hassan Saqib, a spokesman for the Taliban police command in Nuristan, said Taliban forces had conducted an operation against what he described as a group of armed opponents.

“During the operation, 28 of them were killed and another 32 were captured alive,” Saqib said. “Some of those captured were wounded, while others surrendered.”

He did not provide details about Taliban casualties.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front gave a different account, saying the fighting began after Taliban forces, using ground troops and several drones, attacked its positions in Kamdesh.

The front said its fighters initially resisted the assault before launching counterattacks from several directions. It claimed several Taliban checkpoints were captured and that Taliban forces were pushed out of parts of Kamdesh and Nari districts.

It also said it seized weapons and military equipment and destroyed or disabled dozens of Taliban-operated drones.

“The Taliban attacked the positions of Freedom Front commandos in Kamdesh district of Nuristan using ground forces and drones, but were forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties,” the front said in a statement.

Samad Samadi, described as a military affairs analyst, gave a significantly higher estimate of Taliban casualties, claiming more than 35 Taliban members had been killed and about 40 wounded. He said the wounded were initially taken to hospitals in Nuristan before being transferred to Kabul.

Taliban officials, meanwhile, said the fighting had ended and that Kamdesh remained under their control.

“The fighting has completely ended, and the area is under the control of the mujahedeen,” Mohammad Dawood Moral, the Taliban deputy district governor for Kamdesh, said. “Clearance operations are underway. Security has now been fully restored, and there is no problem.”

The Afghanistan Freedom Front disputed that account and said its forces continued to monitor Taliban movements in Kamdesh, Nari and Zebak district in northeastern Badakhshan province. It said it would respond to further Taliban military movements.

Videos distributed by the Taliban and Taliban-affiliated media appeared to show a group of 23 detained men being questioned. The men identified themselves as residents of several provinces. One said he was from Jaghori, in central Ghazni province.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front has not publicly responded to the Taliban’s claim that 28 of its fighters were killed and 32 others captured.

Local sources told Amu TV that roads in Kamdesh were closed for several hours Saturday because of the fighting and that the security situation in the district remained tense Sunday.