Taliban Calls on Badakhshan Youth to Join Its Military

DID Press: Taliban has launched a recruitment drive targeting young men in five border districts of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, according to local sources, as internal tensions among Taliban commanders in the province continue to mount.

Local sources said Taliban officials met with young people on Saturday in several border districts, urging them to enlist in the group’s military. According to the sources, many of the meetings were held with members of the Ismaili community in remote border areas.

A recruitment notice obtained by Afghanistan International shows that the Taliban has invited men aged between 20 and 24 from the districts of Wakhan, Pamir, Ishkashim, Zebak, Kuran wa Munjan and surrounding areas to register for military service.

The document states that applicants must be endorsed by local tribal elders and mosque imams, reside in Afghanistan, and commit to completing military training.

It also bans the use of mobile phones during the training period.The recruitment campaign comes amid growing internal tensions within Taliban ranks in Badakhshan.

The group has reportedly strengthened its military presence in the province following expressions of dissatisfaction by Juma Fateh, a Tajik Taliban commander based in the region.

Local sources previously said the Taliban had deployed reinforcements from Kabul to Badakhshan in an effort to detain and contain Juma Fateh. One eyewitness reported that more than 35 pickup trucks carrying Taliban fighters entered the province on Saturday alone.