Former Afghan Interior Minister Warns of Emerging Anti-Taliban Uprising

DID Press: Former Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali says recent developments in Badakhshan could mark the beginning of a gradual public uprising against Taliban rule, while cautioning that scattered armed attacks alone are unlikely to pose a strategic threat without broader political coordination and nationwide support.

Jalali, a former interior minister and university professor, said the Taliban has intensified pressure on the Afghan population over the past five years while remaining internationally unrecognized and facing continued criticism over its human rights record, particularly regarding women. He described the unrest in Badakhshan as an early sign of growing public resistance, arguing that historical experience shows opposition to authoritarian rule often begins gradually before expanding.

He said isolated attacks by anti-Taliban groups in remote areas are insufficient to shift the balance of power, stressing that any effective opposition would require political unity, a coherent strategy, and national leadership. According to Jalali, if the unrest remains localized, the Taliban is likely to contain it with existing resources. He added that the likelihood of success would increase if resistance spread from mountainous regions into urban centers and developed parallel political structures.

Jalali’s remarks come as fighting between the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) and Taliban forces entered its fifth day in Zebak district of Badakhshan. The Freedom Front claims it has captured several Taliban positions and shot down two Taliban drones, while the Taliban says it has carried out an attack on an AFF position. The competing battlefield claims have not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, Habib-ur-Rahman Hekmatyar, son of former Afghan leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, said that if the Taliban considers armed struggle a legitimate path to power, other groups have the same right to fight for a role in Afghanistan’s future. He accused the Taliban of rejecting political solutions and monopolizing power, warning that the unrest in Badakhshan could spread rapidly to other provinces.

In recent days, the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the Sepah-e Mihan Front have reported multiple attacks on Taliban positions in Badakhshan. The Freedom Front claims to have killed 21 Taliban fighters, including several commanders, wounded 37 others, and seized several outposts in Zebak. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed those claims as “media propaganda,” saying the group’s forces remain fully prepared to defend the government.