Heavy Fighting Reported in Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province

Heavy fighting has been reported between Taliban forces and the anti-Taliban Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) in Kamdesh district of eastern Nuristan province.

The two sides have given sharply different accounts of the clashes and casualties. Taliban officials said 28 opposition fighters were killed and 32 others were captured. They did not disclose Taliban casualties. They said the fighting began when around 400 armed men attempted to enter Afghanistan from Pakistan.

The Afghanistan Freedom Front disputed the Taliban’s account. It said Taliban forces attacked its positions using ground troops and drones. The AFF claimed that its fighters resisted the attack and later launched counterattacks, capturing several Taliban checkpoints and taking control of parts of Kamdesh and neighboring Nari district in Kunar province.

The AFF said five Taliban members were killed and 10 wounded. It also claimed that weapons and military equipment were captured and several Taliban drones were destroyed or disabled.

A military affairs analyst gave a higher estimate of Taliban casualties, claiming more than 35 were killed and about 40 wounded. These figures could not be independently verified.

Taliban officials said the fighting had ended and that Kamdesh remained under their control. The AFF rejected this claim and said it continued to monitor Taliban movements in Kamdesh, Nari and parts of northeastern Badakhshan.

Local sources reported that roads in Kamdesh were closed for several hours during the fighting and that the security situation remained tense. .. Source