National Resistance Front
Profile
The National Resistance Front was established after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The Front is led by Ahmad Massoud and is made up of former Northern Alliance members and former government security personnel. The group claims it has 10,000 fighters and the support of Amrullah Saleh, Marshall Rashid Dostum, and Atta Noor. The faction started its armed resistance against the Taliban in the mountainous Panjshir province, the only province that had not fallen to the Taliban. After fierce fighting, the Taliban retained control of the province. Since then, there have been many fights between the NRF and the Taliban. Brokered by Iran, the group's leadership engaged in talks with the Taliban in Tehran in early 2022. However, those talks did not yield results.
Interests
1. Inclusive Government
Although the group is predominantly made up of Tajik fighters and leadership, it is not an ethnic faction. The front represents the interests of minority ethnic, religions, and gender groups. The front has proclaimed resistance until a process or mechanisms toward an inclusive and representative government is established that is acceptable to all Afghans. Massoud has said NRF wants a free, independent, and just Afghanistan where all Afghans have equal rights irrespective of ethnicity, gender, or religious beliefs and an accountable government that is answerable to its people and the international community.
2. Human Rights
Massoud claims NRF represents all groups, including women, who are "the heart of freedom-seeking resistance of Afghanistan" as they fight for their rights to education and self-determination."