The UN Security Council’s latest report confirms a significant decline in attacks by armed groups opposing Taliban rule: only 116 incidents were recorded from January to July 2025 — nearly 60% fewer than during the same period in 2024, Afintl.af reports.
According to the document, the majority of attacks were claimed by the National Resistance Front (NRF) — 73 — and the Afghan Freedom Front (AFF) — 43. By comparison, in the first half of 2024, these two groups carried out 344 attacks combined (261 by the NRF, 83 by the AFF), indicating a marked weakening of their operational capacity.
The report stresses that, although isolated incidents continue, the violence remains sporadic and currently does not threaten the stability of the Taliban regime.
Nevertheless, on the same day the report was released, the AFF announced a new attack: according to the group, at approximately 18:30 local time on 17 December, its fighters struck a Taliban checkpoint in Kunduz city (northern Afghanistan), near the Kabul Port facility. The AFF claims two Taliban fighters were killed and one wounded. Taliban authorities have not yet issued an official comment.
Earlier, in an April 2025 report, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also noted this downward trend: from 1 February to 30 April 2025, the NRF and AFF conducted a total of 72 attacks (56 by the NRF, 16 by the AFF) — half the number recorded during the same timeframe in 2024.
The NRF and AFF remain the largest anti-government armed groups in the country, formed after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Their operations remain concentrated primarily in northern provinces (Panjshir, Baghlan, Kunduz), but, as the UN observes, the scale, frequency, and geographic reach of their attacks continue to shrink.
Analysts attribute this decline to the Taliban’s strengthened control over rural areas, tightened security measures, and growing logistical and coordination challenges faced by insurgent cells.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 22. 2025