Taliban Minister Downplays Recent Clashes in Badakhshan

DID Press: A senior Taliban official has dismissed recent attacks by anti-Taliban groups in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province as insignificant, saying the country’s overall security situation remains under control.

Speaking at a meeting with media officials in Kabul, Taliban Minister of Information and Culture Khairullah Khairkhwa said any armed confrontation should be assessed based on five factors: the identity of the attackers, their sources of funding, their safe havens, their objectives, and the level of public support they receive.

“Based on these factors, nothing significant has happened in reality,” he said, describing Afghanistan’s security situation under Taliban rule as stable.

Khairkhwa referred to the armed opposition as “killers and bandits” and claimed they lacked public support.

His remarks came after anti-Taliban groups reported a series of attacks in Badakhshan in recent days, including claims by the Homeland Forces of briefly capturing Yaftal district and by the Afghanistan Freedom Front of advancing in Zebak district, destroying two drones and seizing several Taliban checkpoints.

Opposition groups also claimed responsibility for a rocket attack targeting a Taliban reinforcement convoy in the Andarab and Doshi areas of Baghlan province.

The Taliban have not publicly commented on the opposition’s battlefield claims, which could not be independently verified.