Deepening Rift Inside Taliban in Badakhshan Fuels Fears of Armed Clashes

DID Press: Internal tensions within the Taliban in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province have escalated sharply amid disputes over gold mines and growing ethnic divisions between Pashtun and Tajik commanders, according to local sources.

Reports indicate that Ismail Ghaznawi, the Taliban’s Pashtun governor in Badakhshan, deployed hundreds of armed fighters to the Darwaz region in an effort to seize control of lucrative gold mining areas.

Local sources said several gold-processing sites allegedly linked to Tajik Taliban commanders in the Darwaz districts were shut down and destroyed under Ghaznawi’s orders.

The crisis intensified after Taliban intelligence forces detained local commander Musa Kaka and four associates, transferring them to Faizabad. Musa Kaka, reportedly close to influential Tajik Taliban figure Juma Khan Fateh, had recently refused reassignment to Jawzjan province and was accused of extorting mining operators.

Following the arrests, Juma Khan Fateh reportedly returned to Nusay district and began mobilizing supporters for a possible armed confrontation with rival Taliban factions in Darwaz. According to local mediators, he warned that unless detained allies were released and mining operations resumed, his forces would “push the Taliban back by force.”

Meanwhile, a special Taliban unit reportedly linked to Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has been deployed from Kandahar to Badakhshan. Sources say the force has already destroyed tunnels and equipment connected to gold extraction sites.

Videos circulating online appear to show the demolition of mining facilities, further intensifying fears that internal rivalries over resources and ethnic influence could trigger direct armed conflict within Taliban ranks.

The Taliban administration has not yet issued an official statement regarding the reported developments.