Afghanistan Freedom Front

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Afghanistan Freedom Front
جبههَ آزادی افغانستان (Dari)
د افغانستان د ازادۍ جبهه (Pashto)
Dates of operation12 March 2022 [1] – present
Active regionsNationwide across Afghanistan
Ideology Anti-Taliban
Federalism
StatusActive
AlliesFlag of Afghanistan (1992-2001).svg National Resistance Front [2]
National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan
OpponentsFlag of the Taliban.svg  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Battles and wars Afghan conflict
Website https://freedom-front.com/

The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) is an anti-Taliban militant group operating in Afghanistan. [1] In some parts of Afghanistan, the AFF and National Resistance Front (NRF) collaborate on anti-Taliban operations. [3]

Contents

The AFF has reportedly tried to recruit and suport pro-NRF fighters in different parts of country, putting in perspective the NRF and AFF's joint appeal being more popular among Tajiks and pro-Jamiat e Islami groups. [4]

Timeline of Resistance

In March 2022, the AFF announced its formation to the public via social media. [5]

On 14 April 2022, the AFF reported that its fighters have engaged Taliban forces simultaneously in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Kandahar, Parwan, Takhar, Laghman and Samangan. [6]

On 5 July 2022, the AFF killed six Taliban soldiers and wounded two in a missile attack on Bagram Airfield. A Taliban military vehicle was also destroyed. [7] On 15 July, AFF fighters fought off a Taliban incursion in Khost wa Farang district. [8]

On 6 October 2022, there were claims that AFF fighters in Kandahar had assassinated a Taliban commander. [9]

On 10 March 2023, AFF detonated an IED on Taliban forces, killing 3 at Police Station District 5 in Kabul. [10]

On 30 March 2023, AFF claimed its fighters attacked the Taliban Security Command in Kabul and killed two Taliban fighters. [11]

On 12 April 2023, AFF representatives denied Taliban reports that Akmal Ameer was killed by Taliban forces, although they did confirm six AFF fighters dead. [12] But on 16 April, the AFF did say that Ameer was killed by Taliban fighters. [13]

On May 9 2023, the AFF claimed an attack on Taliban positions in Kapisa province, killing three and wounding four Taliban fighters. [14] On May 10, AFF spokesman Nasrullah Fateh claimed an attack on Taliban forces in Kabul, killing three and wounding three Taliban fighters. [15]

On 4 June 2023, the AFF conducted an attack in Baglan province, resulting in two Taliban deaths and four injuries. [16]

On 4 July 2023, the AFF announced the killing of a Taliban member and the injuring of three other members in Kapisa Province. [17]

On August 9 2023, the AFF claimed a gun attack at the entrance of Faizabad Airport in northeastern Badakhshan province, killing one and wounding three Taliban fighters. [18] On August 12, the AFF reported an attack on Taliban forces in Kabul manning a checkpoint; five were killed and three Taliban fighters wounded. [19] In addition, AFF fighters raided a Taliban garrison in Baghlan province on Friday at 11:40 pm in the Pul-e-Madan, Pul Khumri with two Taliban fighters killed and four wounded. [20]

On August 17 2023, AFF fighters attacked Taliban forces at Kabul in the 11th district, killing four Taliban fighters and wounding six. [21] On August 18, 5 Taliban fighters were killed and three were injured in an AFF attack on Parwan. [22]

On September 1 2023, the AFF claimed they killed two Taliban fighters in Kabul's Shakardara district. [23]

On September 3 2023, the AFF reported two Taliban fighters killed in Laghman province. [24]

On December 5 2023, the AFF claimed that they have killed 50 Taliban fighters alongside the NRF. [25]

On December 6 2023, the AFF claimed to have attacked the Taliban governor's office in Panjshir province, killing at least two Taliban fighters. [26]

On January 13, 2024, the AFF claimed to have attacked the Taliban Governor’s office in Panjshir province killing two Taliban fighters and injured another member during a rocket attack in the Tajik area of Jabal al-Sirāj district. [27]

On February 19, 2024, the AFF reported in two separate attacks on Taliban outposts, killing seven Taliban fighters and four others were wounded in Kabul. [28]

On February 21 2024, the AFF had announced that forces attacked a Taliban outpost in the centre of Parwan province, killing one Taliban member and injuring two other members. [29]

On April 11 2024, AFF leader Yasin Zia and NRF leader Ahmad Massoud held their joint meeting and discussed the future strategy. [30]

On April 17, 2024, the AFF resumed guerilla attacks against Taliban targets. [31]

On April 20, 2024, the AFF Claims to have killed 3 Members of Taliban's Intelligence Agency in Kabul's District 2. [32]

On April 29, 2024, the AFF Claims to have been killed 4 Members of Taliban and two others had been injured during the attack in Kabul's Qoway Markaz area. [33]

On May 18, 2024, the AFF claims that have been killed 3 members of Taliban in the Attack On Group Leader Guards near Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in Kabul. [34]

On May 21, 2024, the AFF claims that have been killed 2 members of Taliban and another were injured during the Attack checkpoint of the group’s Ministry of Defence near Karte Naw area in Kabul. [35]

Leadership

According to Voice of America, former Chief of General Staff Afghanistan General Yasin Zia is reported to be one of the AFF's leaders. [36] He is reportedly working with NRF officials, including Ahmad Massoud to get weapons and support for an anti-Taliban front. [3] This includes traveling to get support for the AFF. [37]

AFF is also allied with National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan; [38] which is led by Field Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, Atta Mohammad Noor, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Ismail Khan and other prominent Afghan Pashtun/Tajik/Uzbek/Hazara politicians in exile.

Locations

According to an AFF representative, the group is mobile, but operates in Salang valley in Parwan province; the Andarab and Khost-Farang districts in Baghlan province; the Ishkamish district in Takhar province as well as Sar-e-Pol, Nuristan, and Faryab provinces. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parwan Province</span> Province of Afghanistan

Parwan also spelled Parvan is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is the largest province of the Greater Parwan region and has a population of about 751,000. The province is multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province is divided into ten districts. The town of Imam Abu Hanifa serves as the provincial capital. The province is located north of Kabul Province and south of Baghlan Province, west of Panjshir Province and Kapisa Province, and east of Maidan Wardak Province and Bamyan Province. The province's famous tourism attraction is the Golghondi Hill, also known as “the flower hill,” located in Imam Azam about an hour away from the capital city of Kabul. After Panjshir this province has been considered as one of the main raising points of Afghanistan War against Soviets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panjshir Province</span> Province of Afghanistan

Panjshir is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country containing the Panjshir Valley. The province is divided into seven districts and contains 512 villages. As of 2021, the population of Panjshir province was about 173,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panjshir Valley</span> Valley in northeastern Afghanistan

The Panjshir Valley is a valley in northeastern Afghanistan, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. It is divided by the Panjshir River. The valley is home to more than 100,000 people, including Afghanistan's largest concentration of ethnic Tajiks as of 1997. In April 2004, it became the heart of the new Panjshir Province, having previously been part of Parwan Province. Politically, this province has been considered the start point of Afghanistan's Jihad period against the Soviets. This province is also the birthplace of Afghanistan's national hero, Ahmad Shah Masoud.

Mohammad Fahim Dashty was an Afghan journalist, politician and military official. In 2021, he served as spokesman of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan during the Republican insurgency in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban insurgency</span> Insurgency during the War in Afghanistan

The Taliban insurgency began after the group's fall from power during the 2001 War in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces fought against the Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai, and later by President Ashraf Ghani, and against a US-led coalition of forces that has included all members of NATO; the 2021 Taliban offensive resulted in the collapse of the government of Ashraf Ghani. The private sector in Pakistan extends financial aid to the Taliban, contributing to their financial sustenance.

Andarab is district located in the southern part of Baghlan Province, Afghanistan. The estimated population of Andarab in 2004 was roughly 120,642. The district centre is the village of Andarab, which is named after the Andarab valley in which it is located.

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Events in the year 2020 in Afghanistan.

In May 2020, a series of insurgent attacks took place in Afghanistan, starting when the Taliban killed 20 Afghan soldiers and wounded 29 others in Zari, Balkh and Grishk, Helmand on 1 and 3 May, respectively. On 12 May, a hospital's maternity ward in Kabul and a funeral in Kuz Kunar (Khewa), Nangarhar were attacked, resulting in the deaths of 56 people and injuries of 148 others, including newborn babies, mothers, nurses, and mourners. ISIL–KP claimed responsibility for the funeral bombing, but no insurgent group claimed responsibility for the hospital shooting.

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The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), also known as the Second Resistance, is a military alliance of former Northern Alliance members and other anti-Taliban fighters loyal to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The founder and president of NRF is Ahmad Massoud. When the Taliban captured Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, former first vice president Amrullah Saleh, citing provisions of the 2004 Constitution, declared himself the caretaker president of Afghanistan and announced the republican resistance against the Taliban. Saleh's claim to the presidency was endorsed by Ahmad Massoud, as well as by former Afghan Minister of Defence Bismillah Mohammadi, and the Afghan embassy in Tajikistan including its ambassador Mohammad Zahir Aghbar.

The republican insurgency in Afghanistan is an ongoing low-level guerilla war between the National Resistance Front and allied groups which fight under the banner of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on one side, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the other side. On 17 August 2021, former first vice president of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh declared himself the "caretaker" president of Afghanistan and announced the resistance. On 26 August, a brief ceasefire was declared. On 1 September, talks broke down and fighting resumed as the Taliban attacked resistance positions.

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References

  1. 1 2 Bureau, N. V. I. (12 March 2022). "New outfit Afghanistan Freedom Front vows to end Taliban's 'tyrant rule'". Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 O'Connor, Tom; Khaled, Fatma (30 August 2022). "A Year After U.S. Exit, Afghan rebel groups are waging war on Taliban rule". Newsweek.
  3. 1 2 "Afghan resistance accuses Taliban of crimes and torture in Panjshir". PIME Asia News. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Afghanistan's Security Challenges under the Taliban". 12 August 2022.
  5. ↑ Kapur, Roshni. "New anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan: Genesis of a low-intensity conflict?". Orf.
  6. ↑ "ACLED Regional Overview - South Asia and Afghanistan (2-8 April 2022) - Afghanistan | ReliefWeb".
  7. ↑ "Six Taliban Members Killed in Alleged Missile Attack by Liberation Front on Bagram Airport - Hasht-e Subh Daily". 8am.af. Retrieved 6 July 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Taliban Operations in Baghlan Repelled, Says Afghanistan Freedom Front".
  9. ↑ "Key Commander of the Taliban Killed in Kandahar". 6 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) Detonate an IED on Taliban (IEA) Forces, Killing 3, PD 5, Kabul". 10 March 2023.
  11. ↑ Subh, Hasht-E. (30 March 2023). "AFF Claims Killing Two Fighters in Attack on Taliban Security Command in Kabul". Hasht-e Subh Daily. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Anti-Taliban armed front yet to confirm the death of its senior commander Akmal Ameer". 12 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Afghanistan Freedom Front confirms the death of Akmal Ameer". 16 April 2023.
  14. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/05/afghanistan-freedom-front-claims-killing-three-taliban-fighters-in-rocket-attack/
  15. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/05/afg-freedom-front-claims-killing-two-taliban-members-in-kabul-2/
  16. ↑ "در حمله جبهه آزادی در بغلان چندین عضو طالبان مجروح شدند". ایندیپندنت فارسی (in Persian). 5 June 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "AFF Announces Killing Taliban Member in Kapisa Province". Afghanistan International. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  18. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/aff-claims-killing-and-injuring-4-taliban-members-in-badakhshan-province/
  19. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/aff-claims-killing-5-taliban-members-in-kabul/
  20. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/aff-claims-killing-and-injuring-6-taliban-members-in-baghlan-province/
  21. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/aff-claims-killing-and-injuring-10-taliban-members-in-kabul/
  22. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/08/aff-claims-killing-and-injuring-8-taliban-members-in-parwan-amid-rise-in-attacks/
  23. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/09/afghanistan-freedom-front-claims-to-have-killed-two-taliban-members-in-kabul/
  24. ↑ https://kabulnow.com/2023/09/aff-claims-killing-two-taliban-forces-in-laghman-province/
  25. ↑ https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-insurgent-groups-step-up-attacks-political-campaign-against-taliban-/7386099.html
  26. ↑ "Freedom Front claims responsibility for attack on Taliban governor's office, resulting in four casualties". Daryo UZ. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "Panjshir Taliban Governor's Office Rocket Attack: Afghanistan Freedom Front Claims Killing Two Fighters". 8am Media. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  28. ↑ "7 Taliban Members Killed in AFF Attacks in Kabul". Afghanistan International. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  29. ↑ "AFF Claims Attack On Taliban Outpost In Parwan, One Taliban Member Dead". Afghanistan International. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  30. ↑ "Afghanistan Freedom Front and National Resistance Front Convene First Joint Meet". Afghanistan International. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  31. ↑ "3 Taliban Members Killed In Kabul, Claims NRF". Afghanistan International. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  32. ↑ "AFF Claims To Have Killed 3 Members of Taliban's Intelligence Agency in Kabul". Afghanistan International. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  33. ↑ "Afghanistan Freedom Front Claims Four Taliban Members Killed In Attack In Kabul". Afghanistan International. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  34. ↑ "3 Taliban Members Killed In Attack On Group's Leader's Guards In Kabul, Claims AFF". Afghanistan International. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  35. ↑ "2 Taliban Members Killed In Attack In Kabul, Says AFF". Afghanistan International. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  36. ↑ "Afghan 'Fighting Season' Ushers in New Anti-Taliban Groups".
  37. ↑ "Afghan Resistance Leaders See 'No Option' but War".
  38. ↑ "National Resistance Council Calls for Comprehensive Struggle Against Taliban". Afghanistan International. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
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