After the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, for the first time, a district was seized for several hours by a front known as Sepahian-e Mihan (Soldiers of the Homeland). Following the front’s attack on the district, its forces seized several military equipment items and chanted anti-Taliban slogans in the district bazaar. After the attack, the front stated that it had been formed out of the fundamental needs of society and in response to injustice and violations of the human dignity of the people of Afghanistan. The front added that its struggle is aimed at achieving freedom, justice, equality, and safeguarding the human, national, and religious values of the people of Afghanistan. Video footage released of the operation has been widely shared on social media, and users and political activists opposed to the Taliban have offered various analyses and perspectives on it. In response, the Taliban dispatched reinforcements to the district by land and air, and the group’s army chief of staff also traveled to Yaftal district.
Yesterday, sources confirmed through video footage that on Friday night, July 17, 2026, at around 2:00 a.m., several fighters from the Sepahian-e Mihan front attacked Yaftal-e Payan district in Badakhshan province and took control of the district for several hours. According to sources, following the incident, the front’s flag was raised on the district building in place of the Taliban flag.
Local sources confirmed that fighters from the front disarmed Taliban fighters stationed in the district. Additionally, in videos released on social media, individuals can be seen present in Yaftal-e Payan district, raising the flag of the Sepahian-e Mihan front.
Following the incident, the Sepahian-e Mihan front issued a statement announcing that its members feel the pain, suffering, and displacement of the people in their own flesh and blood, and that their military action against the Taliban stemmed from the people’s natural need for freedom, justice, equality, and the preservation of human dignity. According to the front, the Taliban have violated the human dignity of the people of Afghanistan in various ways.
Part of the front’s statement reads: “In such circumstances, we consider it our duty to save the pride, honor, dignity, identity, and human, national, and religious values of our people from the danger of destruction. On this difficult and arduous path of seeking justice and struggle, we have relied on no power or name other than the God of justice and freedom, and the support and backing of you, our honorable people.”
Another part of the statement reads: “We hereby inform our dear people that the fighters of the Sepahian-e Mihan front successfully carried out a coordinated and forceful offensive operation simultaneously in the districts of Kishim, Yawan-Ragh, and Yaftal-e Payan in Badakhshan province. During the operation, several Taliban fighters were captured by the front’s fighters, and all their weapons, ammunition, and military equipment fell into the hands of the front’s forces.”
The front also emphasized that it emerged from the fundamental needs of society and, with a deep understanding of the injustices at play, will remain alongside the people in pursuit of their aspirations and the achievement of freedom. The front has also called on the women and men of Afghanistan to stand alongside it on this path.
At the same time, Qayum Malang, a commander who, along with his forces, had driven the Taliban out of Yaftal-e Payan district the previous night, said in an audio recording that the tears of girls, the displacement and destitution of the people, and their hunger drove him to take up armed struggle against the Taliban.
In audio attributed to this anti-Taliban commander, he says: “Fighting against the Taliban is not a shame or disgrace for me. What is a shame and a disgrace is that Afghanistan is falling below the poverty line, and that a mother sells her child for a piece of bread. What is a shame and disgrace for me is that my sister cannot hold back the tears welling in her eyes over her legitimate rights, which have been taken from her. From every corner of this land, the voice of grief and lamentation, the cries of orphans, the destitute, the hungry, and the oppressed can be heard. We have millions of displaced, destitute, refugee, and wandering people.”
Following the incident, the Taliban dispatched dozens of their fighters to Yaftal district, and the atmosphere in the district has become heavily militarized. At the same time, Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of staff of the Taliban army, traveled to Yaftal.
In an interview with Taliban-controlled media, Fitrat claimed that foreign intelligence agencies may be involved in the incident. He alleged that foreign intelligence services may be exploiting the sentiments of young people to disrupt security in Yaftal district, Badakhshan province.
Taliban-controlled media and several pro-Taliban social media users have published images claiming that fighters from the Sepahian-e Mihan front have been arrested. The front, in a statement, denied the arrest of its members and said that the Taliban had detained and tortured several ordinary civilians.
Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesman for the Taliban police command in Badakhshan, confirmed to the media on Friday, July 17, 2026, that the district had come under attack. He did not comment on the district’s seizure by the Sepahian-e Mihan front but added that after several hours, Taliban fighters arrived at the scene and regained control of the district.
This comes as sources in Badakhshan say that, following the incident, the Taliban beat several local elders and detained around 20 residents of the area. According to sources, the Taliban forced the detained individuals to make confessions in front of media cameras before taking them away.
Sources add that the Taliban have become increasingly concerned about the rise in popular opposition in Badakhshan and have recalled forces that had been deployed to various outlying areas back to Yaftal.
Meanwhile, dozens of citizens of Afghanistan, both inside and outside the country, have expressed satisfaction by resharing photos and videos of some of the Sepahian-e Mihan fighters, emphasizing that freedom is near and that all people should support the resistance of these young men against the Taliban.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
