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Taliban intelligence (GDI) has arrested 13 individuals, including some senior commanders, in the Jurm district of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province over alleged links to ISIS-Khorasan. Among those detained is Muazuddin, the brother of the Taliban cultural attaché in China.
According to sources, the arrests were carried out two days ago in the Jurm area, and the detainees were immediately transferred to Kabul. Reports say the group includes personnel linked to Taliban military and administrative structures, such as a company-level intelligence commander, a propaganda unit officer, several officials, and former local radio and television staff.
Kabul-based sources claim that most of the detainees have been subjected to severe torture after arrest. One individual was reportedly released on bail through the intervention of a deputy of a Badakhshan faction, while the remaining 12 remain in GDI custody.
Local sources say six of the detainees are residents of Kap village in Jurm district and belong to the Salafi school of thought. They are reported to have previously engaged in training activities in remote mountainous areas of Badakhshan. A prior case is also being cited in which an associate of the group was arrested over alleged ISIS-K links, and the latest arrests are said to stem from that earlier identification.
The detainees are also accused of involvement in an attack on a Taliban intelligence deputy and another official in the newly developed city of Faizabad, though these allegations have not been independently verified.
However, other sources suggest the arrests are not primarily linked to ISIS-K, but instead stem from internal Taliban disputes over control of gold mines in Jurm, dominance by the Kandahari faction, and restrictions on the activities of other ethnic and religious groups. Many of those arrested are reported to be ethnic Uzbeks.
According to these sources, the group had recently clashed with a local Taliban commander, leading to injuries on both sides. Following that incident, the Taliban leadership reportedly ordered a crackdown. It is also alleged that detainees are being pressured to pledge allegiance to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and to adopt the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.
The Taliban have not yet issued any official statement on the arrests. The situation is seen as further evidence of growing internal tensions within the group, particularly in sensitive regions like Badakhshan.
