Amid rising internal tensions within the Taliban, local sources in Badakhshan say that Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff, has offered incentives including financial and economic privileges in an effort to prevent local commanders from joining Jumma Khan Fateh.
According to these sources, Fasihuddin met yesterday with several local Taliban commanders at the “Darya” restaurant in the Baharak district, where discussions were held.
The sources claim that money was distributed among attendees during the meeting, and they were promised a share in mining revenues if they remained loyal to the Taliban leadership.
The reported objective of the meeting was to prevent Badakhshani commanders from defecting to Jumma Khan Fateh, a disgruntled Taliban commander. Sources allege that these efforts intensified after forces affiliated with Jumma Khan Fateh forced Taliban fighters to retreat during a counterattack.
Sources further state that Fasihuddin is seeking to secure the loyalty of local commanders to the Taliban leadership before any military action is taken. According to them, if Jumma Khan Fateh fails to expand his support base, the Taliban leadership may launch broader operations against him.
The Taliban have not yet issued an official response to these claims, and the information cannot be independently verified.
These developments come as Jumma Khan Fateh, the former deputy governor of the Taliban in Zabul and one of the group’s dissident commanders, has been active in the Darwaz area of Badakhshan for about a month and has engaged in several clashes with Taliban forces.
Sources say that despite efforts by the Taliban leadership to contain the crisis through negotiations and incentives, tensions continue, and the prospects for resolving internal disputes within the group remain uncertain.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
