KABUL - For the first time in nearly five years, a district center has been briefly seized from the Taliban by an armed opposition group, dealing a symbolic blow to the regime and exposing the fragility of its control in Tajik-majority border areas .
A newly emerged group calling itself Sepahiyan-e Mihan (Homeland Soldiers Front) or Jabhah-e Sepahan-e Mihan (Homeland Guardians Front) claimed it successfully overran the Yaftal Payan district center in Badakhshan province during an overnight operation on July 16-17 .
This morning, a newly formed group called Sepayan Mehan attacked the Yaftal district in Badakhshan province, northern Afghanistan. They seized control of the district for several hours, disarmed the Taliban, confiscated their weapons, and raised the Sepayan Mehan flag inside the... pic.twitter.com/gc3LNAkJaL
- Mohsin Ali (@Mohsin_o2) July 17, 2026
Local sources reported that heavy gunfire erupted around 2:00 AM local time as fighters stormed the district headquarters . The attackers reportedly disarmed Taliban personnel, chanted anti-Taliban slogans, and raised a blue flag before withdrawing to their hideouts .
The group claimed that more than 15 Taliban fighters were killed during the assault . The attackers also reportedly seized weapons and ammunition from the district center before retreating without taking casualties . At the height of the operation, the district center remained under opposition control until dawn .
This is the first time an armed opposition group has claimed to capture a district center from the Taliban since they regained power in August 2021, even temporarily . Yaftal Payan is located approximately 17 kilometers from Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province .
Badakhshan, which shares borders with Tajikistan, China, and Pakistan, has experienced periodic clashes between Taliban forces and opposition fighters since 2021 . The region is predominantly Tajik, and opposition activity has often been linked to ethnic tensions and cross-border dynamics with Tajikistan.
Pro-Taliban accounts dismissed the reports as false rumors, claiming that arrests had been made, including that of a commander named Abdul Qayyum Malang, who is reportedly the group's military leader . However, the Taliban had not issued an official statement on the claims at the time of reporting, and the reports could not be independently verified .
Local sources also suggested that some local Taliban members dissatisfied with the regime may have cooperated with the opposition during the attack , pointing to internal fractures within the Taliban's governance structure.
If confirmed, the capture marks the most significant opposition military achievement in years, highlighting persistent resistance in Tajik-majority areas near the Tajik border. It also underscores the continued inability of the Taliban to fully suppress armed opposition groups in Afghanistan's northern provinces.
