Ex-Afghan Attorney General: Yeftal Seizure Exposes Limits of Taliban Rule

DID Press: Former Afghan Attorney General Farid Hamidi says the temporary loss of Taliban control over Yeftal-e Payin district in Badakhshan highlights the fragility of the group’s claim to nationwide authority, arguing that “power built on force and monopoly cannot endure.”

Writing on X on Saturday, Hamidi described the several-hour seizure of Yeftal-e Payin district as a significant political message, saying the incident demonstrated that the Taliban’s assertion of absolute control across Afghanistan remains “fragile and unsustainable.”

Hamidi argued that discrimination, political and ethnic monopolization, authoritarian rule, and reliance on coercion cannot provide the foundation for lasting governance. Referring to civilian casualties and the destruction of public infrastructure during two decades of conflict, including the burning and demolition of schools, he said that even armed conflict should be conducted within legal and ethical limits.

He further claimed that fighters from the newly established anti-Taliban group, Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Homeland Forces), deliberately targeted military objectives while avoiding harm to civilians, despite having the capability to inflict broader damage.

Hamidi concluded that Afghanistan’s future depends on political dialogue, social justice, equal rights, an end to discrimination, respect for the dignity of both women and men, and governance based on equal citizenship rather than monopoly of power.

His remarks came after Yeftal-e Payin district in Badakhshan briefly fell out of Taliban control on Friday, when Sepahiyan-e Mihan claimed to have seized the district for several hours, prompting widespread political reactions inside and outside Afghanistan.