The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front on Thursday confirmed the death of Haseeb Panjshiri, one of its commanders, after a media outlet close to Taliban intelligence reported that he was killed in an operation by Taliban Special Forces.
Ali Maisam Nazary, the NRF’s head of foreign relations,
confirmed Panjshiri’s death in a Facebook post, describing him as a fighter and
offering condolences to members of the front and the Afghan people.
Nazary did not provide details about when or where Panjshiri
was killed or the circumstances surrounding his death.
Al-Mersaad, a media outlet considered close to Taliban
intelligence, had earlier reported that Panjshiri was killed in an operation by
Taliban special forces. The Taliban have not officially commented on the
reported death, and details of the operation could not be independently
verified.
Panjshiri, also known as Haseeb Qowai Markaz, was a member
of the NRF, the armed opposition group led by Ahmad Massoud.
During Afghanistan’s former republican government, Panjshiri
was on the Interior Ministry’s wanted list, according to a January 2020 report
by TOLOnews. Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said at the time that Panjshiri
was accused of murder, theft and extortion and that the new police chief of
Panjshir had been instructed to arrest him.
However, he accused the National Directorate of Security—the
Afghanistan Intelligence Agency then—of being involved in targeted-killings.
In 2020, the republican police special forces launched an
operation in Panjshir province to arrest Panjshiri, but after several hours of
fighting, however, he managed to escape from the area.
The allegations against Panjshiri were made during the
former government, and it was not immediately clear whether he was ever
convicted of the offenses.
Panjshiri became one of the NRF members operating inside
Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. In May 2025,
photographs circulated showing him and another NRF member, Khalid Amiri,
wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons in a mountainous area. NRF
officials said at the time that the images showed the presence of their forces
inside Afghanistan.
Panjshiri also appeared in a video at the time in which he
said he remained inside Afghanistan and would continue fighting against Taliban
rule.
The NRF was formed under Massoud’s leadership following the
collapse of Afghanistan’s former government in August 2021. Initially centered
in Panjshir province, the group has since claimed attacks against Taliban
forces in Panjshir and other parts of Afghanistan.
The Taliban have frequently dismissed claims of attacks by
armed opposition groups and maintain that they have established security across
Afghanistan.
The circumstances surrounding Panjshiri’s reported death
could not be independently verified.
