Sangar: We do not confirm that this text genuinely belongs to Juma Fateh, a Taliban commander in Darwaz. However, the facts presented in it leave little room for doubt.
Obtained from our own sources
Message from the Guardians of the Impregnable Fortresses of Darwaz
Address to our brothers—the defenders of the frontiers and the noble sons of Badakhshan: Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, Mawlawi Amanuddin Mansur, Mawlawi Shamsuddin Shariati, Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, as well as all commanders, patriotic mujahideen, defenders of the frontiers, respected religious scholars, and the courageous youth of Badakhshan!
For five years of despotic rule by a single tribe, founded upon the dominance of one ethnic group, one language, and a single social order, you have witnessed how religion and Sharia have been used as instruments to consolidate ethnic domination. The religious convictions, the sincerity of our faith, and the Islamic beliefs of the young fighters—our comrades and yours—have been exploited for destructive purposes. This created the conditions for outsiders to encroach upon Badakhshan and subjected our people to numerous hardships, causing deep resentment.
Now they seek to turn the mujahideen of Badakhshan against one another and, by shedding the blood of Badakhshan's brave young men, further expand their treacherous aggression and plunder.
I, Juma Khan Fateh, hear the voices of the Pamir Mountains and the devastated plains of Badakhshan, groaning under the oppression and despotism of fanatical usurpers from the ruling tribe.
I see the rushing rivers of Badakhshan, reddened with the blood of innocent people, their waters made muddy by the ruthless mining operations carried out by the agents of the Nurzai.
I see the natural environment of my homeland being destroyed without restraint.
I am your brother-in-arms, a son of this very land—a land that preserves the history, culture, and honor of our people and our ancestors.
Today, I address you not as a commander but as a proud son of Badakhshan, as your fellow fighter, a patriot devoted to his homeland, and a man conscious of his responsibility. I appeal to you and ask for your support.
Did we fight and wage jihad so that the rich mineral resources of Badakhshan would be plundered, their wealth flowing into the pockets of foreign Nurzais (the Nurzais are the tribe from which Mullah Hibatullah, the leader of the Taliban, originates — Sangar), while our people, driven by poverty and unemployment, would be forced to sell their innocent daughters?
Did we wage jihad so that our fields would be trampled by tractors from Helmand and Kandahar and by the smuggling network of the Nurzai mafia (Bashir Noorzai, a globally known trafficker who controls the trade in gold and narcotics in Afghanistan and belongs to the same tribe as the Taliban's leader — Sangar), while our pastures and croplands would be destroyed beneath the hooves of the nomads' camels and sheep?
Did we struggle so that our province would be governed by people who are strangers to our language and our culture?
Is it just and honorable that opium poppy cultivation flourishes in Helmand, while in Argo, Daraim, and Khash, under the pretext of searching for opium fields, outsiders violate the sanctity of our homes and trample upon the honor and dignity of our families?
Is this Islamic justice—that the daughters of Badakhshan are deprived of the right to education, learning, and work under tribal customs that contradict Sharia, while our sons are sent to schools where they are taught nothing but death and suicide attacks to further entrench a despotic regime?
No, never! This is neither Islam, nor Sharia, nor justice, nor fidelity to the trust placed in us.
My brothers!
You, the descendants of the Tajiks and the heirs of the heroes of Badakhshan, fought for freedom, honor, dignity, and your religious faith. Know this: the authorities in Kandahar do not trust you either. They are merely using you temporarily as a vanguard force and an instrument of their propaganda.
You have been sent as mediators for negotiations so that, drawing upon the experience of their treacherous forefathers, they may force me to surrender and destroy me, disarm our mujahideen, and seize Darwaz.
Mr. Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat!
You and your mujahideen have been sent to the front lines so that you may pay the price with your own blood and the blood of the people of Badakhshan, sacrificing the blood of Badakhshan's young men to tribal despotism. But when they attempt to destroy me—though even that ambition will be buried—tomorrow it will be your turn, and the turn of your fellow fighters.
If I am disarmed today, you will be disarmed tomorrow. They will not tolerate you either because you enjoy public support in Badakhshan. Under various pretexts, they will defame you, condemn you, and seek to erase both your name and your place from the history of this land.
If today you do not rise together with your brothers from Darwaz to defend Badakhshan, tomorrow it will already be too late to defend yourselves and your people.
Let us say "No" to tribal despotism!
Badakhshan is our homeland—the cradle of civilization and the source of our courage. This land has been entrusted to us, and we bear responsibility before the younger generation.
I ask you not to turn your weapons against your brothers from Darwaz and Badakhshan. Join the ranks of your own people. Extend your hand to me so that together we may overthrow this unjust tribal rule. Let us demonstrate that Badakhshan will never bow beneath the burden of humiliation. Let us rewrite history through our unity.
The moment of decision has arrived. If you agree with this message, know that God stands with the oppressed, history and the people stand with us, and future generations will speak your names with pride.
Do not fear death or the loss of symbolic positions; fear humiliation, dishonor, and the humiliation of the people of Badakhshan. Fear the cries of orphans, widows, and innocent girls.
Let us answer the call of the people, the blood, and the soil of Badakhshan, and restore the honor of Badakhshan.
The fate of our homeland, our civilization, our culture, our future, and the future of our children depends upon the decision you make today.
My brothers, the time has come to awaken. I await your patriotic, responsible, and courageous decision.
Your brother-in-arms,
Hajji Juma (Fateh)
9 Muharram 1448 AH
June 24, 2026
