Faizabad (Kubha News)— Following recent protests in Farah, a new wave of dissent has emerged in Badakhshan province, where common citizens and farmers are now openly demonstrating against Taliban authorities.
In the Draim district of Badakhshan province, protesters accused the Taliban of intruding on their privacy and raised chants of ‘Death to the Islamic Emirate’. They made an attempt to transport the body of a slain protester, killed by Taliban forces, to the district as a symbolic act of protest, but were intercepted by Taliban personnel.
These demonstrations have arisen in response to the destruction of poppy fields in the Draim and Argu districts of Badakhshan. Once pivotal areas for Taliban operations and resources, the protests signal a growing discontent with the presence of non-local Taliban forces in their regions.
Districts such as Draim, Argo, Yeftal, Kohistan, Darvaz, Warduj, Yamgan, Jaram, and Khash in Badakhshan have been known to host numerous Taliban fighters, who historically played a crucial role in the group’s expansion across northern Afghanistan.
Badakhshan becomes the second province, after Farah, where farmers and civilians are challenging the Taliban’s authority and directives, particularly those issued by Mullah Hebatullah, the group’s leader, regarding poppy eradication.
A spokesperson from the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior Affairs stated on Saturday that the group’s leader’s decree to ban drug cultivation is unequivocal, and the police are obligated to enforce it.
Abdul Matin Qni remarked, “We are in communication with local authorities in Badakhshan regarding the incident that occurred during the poppy field destruction, and the Ministry of Interior is actively working to address the matter in collaboration with the populace.”
However, protesters in Qarluq village of Draim district, where one of the slain protesters was being buried, allege that the Taliban forces invaded homes under the pretext of poppy field eradication, violating the dignity of women.
According to the demonstrators, during the destruction of poppy fields in Qarluq village, Taliban members assaulted farmers and elderly individuals, resulting in one fatality and a woman sustaining a broken hand.
In response, the Prime Minister of Taliban has convened a committee led by Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense, to investigate the incident. The committee comprises Shamsuddin Shariati, head of supervision and follow-up of orders and decrees; Mullah Abdul Haq, Deputy to Combat Narcotics of the Ministry of Interior; Mullah Rehmatullah Najib, Deputy Intelligence of the Taliban; and Maulvi Abdul Momen, head of the Badakhshan Ulema Council.