Amid escalating attacks by anti-Taliban fronts in Badakhshan province, several residents of the Yaftal-e Sufla district of this province staged a protest yesterday following the physical search of a woman by Taliban fighters. Forces from this group opened fire on the protesters. Local sources have provided differing casualty figures for this incident. According to these sources, the shooting resulted in four people killed and eight other residents wounded. Yesterday, sources had said that one person was killed and several others wounded as a result of the Taliban firing on people. The Hasht-e Subh Daily has reviewed videos showing that, according to sources, protesters were struck by bullets in the waist, leg, and head during the incident. Footage of the bodies of some of those killed also shows blood running down their heads and faces, suggesting that bullets may have struck their heads.
Local sources, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, say the incident began when fighters from a Taliban special unit, while searching people at the Yaftal-e Sufla district market, subjected a woman to a physical search as well. According to sources, this action was met with widespread protest from residents, and dozens of people gathered in front of the Taliban checkpoint. Sources add that Taliban fighters opened fire on the protesters to disperse them, resulting in four deaths and eight injuries.
However, another source, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, says that one person was killed and six others wounded in the clash. In contrast, another source claims that the incident took place at the Etefaq market in Yaftal-e Sufla district, resulting in seven deaths. According to this source, four of his relatives were also wounded, and the total number of wounded reaches approximately 20 people.
The Hasht-e Subh Daily has not independently verified any of these figures.
Local sources say that, amid the continuing tensions, two armed individuals carrying PK and Kalashnikov weapons opened fire from the Khwaja Abdul Maroof area of Faizabad city on Taliban officials who were attending a security meeting of the group’s intelligence directorate, then left the area. According to these sources, further such attacks are likely.
Meanwhile, Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesman for the Taliban Security Command in Badakhshan, has confirmed that on the afternoon of Saturday, August 1, 2023, residents of Yaftal-e Sufla district protested in response to the physical search of a woman by the group’s forces. However, he claimed that residents attacked a security checkpoint “without knowing the truth of the incident.”
According to his claim, the incident occurred when Taliban fighters at a checkpoint became suspicious of a man and woman riding a motorcycle on suspicion of transporting narcotics. He said that when the fighters attempted to search their belongings at the scene, the man fled and claimed that the woman accompanying him had been subjected to a physical search.
At the same time, a video obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily shows a woman, despite being wounded in the waist and bleeding, walking with difficulty through the market without being taken to a hospital. In other videos received by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, the sound of gunfire can be heard, and moments of the wounded being transported are also visible. Residents say that “widespread Taliban oppression and tyranny against local people” was the main reason behind the formation of these protests.
Reactions
Following reactions to the Taliban’s treatment of protesters in Yaftal-e Sufla district of Badakhshan, which led to several local people being killed and wounded, the National Resistance Front condemned the Taliban’s shooting at protesters and called it “inhumane.”
In a statement, the front warned that Taliban violence against the people of Afghanistan “will not go unanswered” and called for an independent investigation into the incident by international human rights bodies.
The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan said in its statement that the Taliban’s violent treatment of protesters is “contrary to all the values of society.” The front emphasized that the physical searching of women, the raiding of people’s homes, and the mistreatment of citizens constitute a clear violation of human dignity and the fundamental rights of the people.
The National Resistance Front had previously seized control of Yaftal-e Sufla district for several hours in a surprise attack and disarmed several Taliban forces.
Meanwhile, the Jamiat-e Islami of Afghanistan, led by Salahuddin Rabbani, issued a statement condemning the suppression of public protests in Yaftal district of Badakhshan. The party said that the “violence-prone” Taliban have no place among the people of Afghanistan and warned that the group will face a “humiliating defeat” against the collective will of the people of Afghanistan.
In the statement, Jamiat-e Islami of Afghanistan condemned what it called “Taliban crimes” and emphasized the necessity of unity and solidarity among the people of Badakhshan and other citizens of Afghanistan in confronting “oppression and tyranny.”
The party also expressed support for what it called the “legitimate self-defense of citizens” and the struggles of women of Afghanistan against the Taliban, saying that the people of Badakhshan have a long history of resisting tyranny and pursuing justice-seeking movements, and will not surrender to pressure and force.
In recent days, attacks by military fronts opposed to the Taliban have increased in some areas of Badakhshan province. Previously, the National Resistance Front had also seized control of Yaftal-e Sufla district of this province for several hours in a surprise attack.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
تلاشی بدنی یک زن توسط طالبان؛ اعتراض مردم یفتل با گلوله پاسخ داده شد
