The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) says it has expanded its guerrilla campaign into eastern Afghanistan, claiming three attacks against Taliban positions in Nuristan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces since 24 June. The move marks the group’s first claimed operations in Nangarhar and Nuristan and signals an effort to broaden its operational reach beyond its traditional northern strongholds.
According to the AFF, its fighters carried out attacks on the district centre in Waygal, Nuristan, a Taliban position in Alingar District, Laghman, and a checkpoint along the Jalalabad–Kunar road in Nangarhar’s Shewa District. The group claimed three Taliban members were killed and two wounded in the Nangarhar attack. On 26 June, it also released a video showing masked fighters announcing the start of operations in Laghman’s Dawlat Shah District.
The AFF said it had deployed guerrilla units to parts of eastern Afghanistan, particularly Laghman, to increase pressure on the Taliban. The group’s tactics continue to rely on hit-and-run raids, ambushes and attacks using rockets and small arms, while its messaging frames the campaign as a national resistance movement and seeks to attract recruits and public support.
Founded in 2022 under the leadership of former Afghan army chief of staff General Yasin Zia, the AFF is one of the two main non-jihadist armed groups opposing Taliban rule, alongside the National Resistance Front. The expansion follows the group’s announcement in May of new spring operations in neighbouring Badakhshan Province.
The Taliban have not publicly commented on the reported attacks, maintaining that security has been restored across the country. However, Taliban-linked media dismissed recent AFF videos as part of a “psychological war,” claiming the footage was filmed across the border in Pakistan rather than in Afghanistan.
The AFF’s latest claims suggest the group is seeking to establish a more sustained presence in eastern Afghanistan. If the expansion continues, it could increase pressure on Taliban security forces and signal a broader geographic spread of anti-Taliban insurgent activity.
