Taliban Leader Orders Deployment of Uzbek and Chechen Militants for Targeted Assassinations in Northern Afghanistan

Security investigations reveal that the deployment of Uzbek and Chechen militant elements in northern Afghanistan is ordered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. These individuals are reportedly operating under the guise of intelligence forces in Balkh, tasked with physically eliminating opponents and even rivals within the Taliban ranks.

​Deployment of Uzbek and Chechen Fighters Under Taliban Orders

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, a significant number of extremist elements, primarily from Uzbek and Chechen backgrounds, who have actively collaborated in the group’s conflicts, have been deployed in the northern provinces of the country by direct order from Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. Reports indicate that operatives among these militants are being recruited into the Taliban’s intelligence apparatus and are systematically engaged in operations to eliminate internal adversaries. Their current mission involves targeting opponents of the Taliban leadership in the northern provinces, including officials associated with the Haqqani faction and members of the National Resistance Front for assassination.

​Direct Involvement of the Balkh Intelligence Chief in Assassination Operations

This policy has been intensified in Balkh Province with the appointment of Mullah Rahmatullah Noorani, a figure closely linked to the Kandahar circle. Noorani, who assumed the headship of Balkh’s intelligence upon the recommendations and oversight of Mullah Mohammad Yusuf Wafa, the governor of Balkh and special representative of Akhundzada in the northern provinces, utilizes clandestine connections with Uzbek and Chechen elements based in Sar-e Pol for targeted eliminations.

​Murder of a Family Linked to the National Resistance Front in Mazar-e Sharif

Recently, this covert assassination network executed the murder of a three-member family affiliated with the National Resistance Front in Mazar-e Sharif. In this horrific incident, a couple and their eight-year-old son were brutally killed in their home by unknown assailants during the night.

​Governor of Balkh’s Efforts for Cover-Up and Deadlock in Investigations

The coordinated killings linked to Balkh Governor Mullah Mohammad Yusuf Wafa are executed discreetly. Wafa has promised local tribal leaders to pursue and identify the perpetrators. However, sources within local police and intelligence agencies assert that these killers will never be identified, arrested, or located. The reason behind this is the clear involvement of Mullah Mohammad Yusuf Wafa, the mastermind behind the operations, and the executioner, namely the intelligence chief Rahmat Noorani. These actions are seen as part of an official agenda to cleanse the system of dissenters and solidify the ruling powers.