Fighting subsides in Kamdesh after five days of clashes, residents say

Residents of Kamdesh district in Nuristan told Amu TV that security conditions have largely returned to normal after five days of heavy fighting, though the district remains under tight security with a large Taliban presence.

The Taliban district governor in Kamdesh also confirmed to Amu TV that the fighting had stopped but declined to provide further details.

Late Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Taliban Defense Ministry announced what it called the end of its operation in Kamdesh, claiming that 41 armed opponents and members of ISIS had been killed and 62 others detained.

Earlier in the fighting, Taliban officials had reported lower casualty and detention figures, while Nasrullah Fateh who was introduced to Amu TV by the Afghanistan Freedom Front as the spokesman of the front gave, a sharply different account of the clashes and territorial control.

The front also confirmed that fighting had stopped but claimed its forces still controlled positions they had captured from the Taliban.

Daoud Naji, head of the front’s political committee, told Amu TV that Taliban attempts to retake those positions had failed.

“At the moment, the situation in Nuristan is calm and there is no fighting,” Naji said. “The Taliban tried to retake the positions they had lost, but they were unsuccessful. Freedom Front commandos remain in the positions they captured.”

The fighting has also become a source of tension between the Taliban and Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the Taliban Foreign Ministry summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and delivered a formal protest over the clashes.

The ministry said armed fighters, including what it described as ISIS-linked elements, have entered Kamdesh from Pakistan with the “direct assistance and guidance” of Pakistan’s military.

The ministry described the alleged activity as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and warned of consequences if such incidents continued.

Pakistani media reported on Monday, Sept. 28, that Pakistan’s government has rejected any involvement in the incidents in Nuristan.

Ashraf Sadat, a political analyst, told Amu TV that Pakistan has long sought influence in Afghanistan and could use pressure on the Taliban to advance its interests.

“Without doubt, Pakistan has an interest in continuously interfering in Afghanistan’s affairs,” Sadat said. “At a time like this, it may try to put pressure on the Taliban.”

Taliban authorities say dozens of people were detained during the fighting.

Noorullah Noori, the Taliban minister of borders and tribal affairs, said the detainees had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul.

Speaking at a gathering with Kuchis in Kabul, Noori also said those involved in the fighting had entered Nuristan from Pakistan’s Chitral region.

He questioned armed opposition groups about whom they intended to “liberate” Afghanistan from and how they could claim to liberate it “from Afghans.”

Noori urged Taliban opponents to return to Afghanistan and said the Taliban were also prepared to resolve disputes through dialogue.

The latest fighting in Kamdesh began amid competing claims from Taliban authorities and the Afghanistan Freedom Front over casualties and control of territory. Taliban officials said hundreds of armed men had attempted to cross into Afghanistan from Pakistan, while the front said its forces had captured a Taliban outpost in Kamdesh.

Despite the halt in fighting, the competing claims over territorial control, the large number of reported detentions and the Taliban’s accusations against Pakistan leave significant questions about the circumstances surrounding the clashes unresolved.