Faryab – The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), one of the most active resistance groups opposing Taliban rule, claimed responsibility for a targeted assault on the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice headquarters in Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab province, on Sunday evening.
In a statement shared on social media, the AFF said its fighters executed a pre-planned operation against a gathering of Taliban morality police personnel as they exited the heavily guarded building. The group claimed two Taliban members were killed and suggested that the provincial head of the Vice and Virtue office may have been seriously wounded or killed, though his fate remains uncertain.
The AFF accused the ministry staff of routinely assembling at the Maimana center each morning before deploying in small groups to enforce strict dress codes and behavioral restrictions on women. The resistance front described the operation as retaliation for systematic oppression and public humiliation of civilians under Taliban authority.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice quickly dismissed the AFF’s claims. In a post on X, a ministry spokesperson stated that an armed militant attempted to target personnel outside the Maimana office but was neutralized before reaching the intended victims. No information was provided regarding casualties, the attacker’s identity, or the method used to foil the assault.
Previous Attacks by AFF
Sunday’s attack adds to a series of operations claimed by the AFF against Taliban morality police. The Front had also reported the killing of two Taliban fighters in Kunduz the previous night. Over the past year, the group has carried out similar attacks in Kabul, Takhar, Kapisa, Badakhshan, and several other provinces, framing its campaign as a defense of personal freedoms and women’s rights under Taliban rule.’
Meanwhile, the National Resistance Front (NRF) in Balkh Province claimed responsibility for a separate attack on the Taliban district governor of Khulm, signaling a coordinated but low-intensity insurgency by anti-Taliban forces in northern Afghanistan.
Local residents reported hearing gunfire near the Maimana ministry compound around dusk, though independent verification remains difficult due to strict Taliban control over information. The incidents underscore ongoing resistance and growing resentment toward the predominantly Pashtun Taliban administration in northern Afghanistan.
