Fighting between the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) and Taliban forces broke out in Kamdesh district of eastern Nuristan province on Saturday, with the anti-Taliban group claiming to have overrun several checkpoints and a Taliban-linked outlet acknowledging that an armed plot in the area had been put down.
Clashes Began Saturday Morning
In a statement issued the same day, the Afghanistan Freedom Front said the fighting had begun that morning in parts of Kamdesh district and was still continuing at the time of the announcement. A resident of Kamdesh also reported hearing gunfire in the area, according to accounts cited in local reporting.
According to the AFF, Taliban forces launched an assault on its positions early on Saturday using drones. The group said its commandos targeted several of the unmanned aircraft before mounting a counter-attack.
Territorial Claims and Displacement
The Front claimed its fighters seized several Taliban checkpoints during the counter-attack, and that Taliban personnel withdrew from the Arandu area and parts of Kamdesh district toward Nari district in neighbouring Kunar province.
- The AFF says fighting began Saturday morning and continued through the day.
- The group claims multiple Taliban checkpoints were captured.
- Terror group fighters reportedly pulled back toward Nari district in Kunar.
- A Taliban-linked outlet says the “plot” was foiled without naming the group involved.
Taliban-Linked Outlet Reports Plot Foiled
HIJAZ Persian, a media outlet linked to the Taliban, reported that what it described as a plot in Kamdesh district had been foiled. Without identifying the armed group involved in the clashes, the outlet claimed that dozens of its members had been killed, wounded or detained during the fighting.
The Taliban has not yet issued an official comment on the clashes. Casualty figures and claims of territorial gains put forward by either side could not be independently verified.
Strategic Terrain
Nuristan, a mountainous province bordering Pakistan, has seen periodic flare-ups between Taliban security forces and armed opposition groups since the movement returned to power. Kamdesh district, in particular, has long been a flashpoint, and the AFF has previously claimed operations in the country’s eastern and northern regions.
The competing accounts on Saturday left the immediate military situation in Kamdesh unclear, with each side presenting the day’s events as a success and no neutral confirmation of the outcome available.
