Taliban Retreat in Bid to Contain Badakhshan Crisis.
Informed sources in Badakhshan say the Taliban leadership has removed Juma Khan Fateh and the delegation sent from Kabul from overseeing the province’s recent crisis after their hardline approach reportedly fueled public anger and deepened internal divisions within the group.
According to the sources, responsibility for managing the situation has once again been handed to Amanuddin Mansoor and Qari Fasihuddin, two senior Taliban officials from Badakhshan.
The sources say the Taliban are stepping back from direct management of the crisis in an effort to rely on the influence of local leaders to contain growing unrest and prevent further internal fractures.
Meanwhile, local sources report that, following an increase in public protests and concerns over expanding discontent in Badakhshan, the Taliban have eased some of the restrictions imposed on gold mining in the Darwaz districts.
According to the sources, a delegation from the Taliban’s Directorate of Mines has visited the area and authorized local residents to resume traditional gold panning and mining activities. Several mining projects that had previously been suspended have also reportedly restarted.
The sources say the Taliban leadership is increasingly concerned about the spread of public protests and the widening of internal disagreements in Badakhshan, a province that has witnessed repeated tensions in recent months between local Taliban commanders and officials dispatched from Kabul.
However, some sources believe the Taliban’s recent retreat and the relaxation of mining restrictions may be only a temporary tactic aimed at calming the situation.
According to these sources, once tensions subside, the Taliban may seek to settle scores with Commander Juma and his supporters, an approach they say has previously been used against a number of the group’s Tajik commanders.
