Taliban Say Forces Killed Two NRF Commanders in Baghlan's Nahrin District; Locals Say Two More Victims in Khost District Were Civilians

The Taliban police command in Baghlan province said its forces killed two National Resistance Front (NRF) commanders, identified as Shams ('Kharabat') and Baba, during an overnight operation in the Char Sai area of Nahrin district on August 27-28, 2026. Taliban authorities said Shams had recently been elevated to lead NRF military activity in Nahrin, Burka and Jalgah districts after the deaths of prior commanders, and that forces seized weapons, ammunition and night-vision equipment; Pajhwok Afghan News, citing provincial officials, described it as a security operation targeting local commanders accused of fomenting instability. The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, made a rare public acknowledgment confirming the death of a commander in Nahrin. Separately, the Taliban claimed two additional 'NRF members' were killed the same period in Baghlan's Khost district, but local sources told Afghanistan International the two — later identified by residents as 17- and 19-year-old Amrullah and Salam — were civilians detained while passing through the mountains between Khost district and Takhar's Worsaj district, shot on accusations of resistance links, and had acid poured on their bodies before being publicly displayed in the Farghanbol village and Duabi markets.