Deepening internal fractures within the de facto administration have spilled into open violence in southern Helmand province, where a lethal firefight erupted between rival Taliban factions over control of illicit narcotics.
According to local sources, the violent confrontation took place on Tuesday in the remote border district of Behram Chah. The clash pitted an elite special unit loyal to supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada against a separate local Taliban military unit. The dispute reportedly broke out over the seizure, custody, and subsequent diversion of a large confiscated shipment of raw opium.
The exchange of heavy gunfire resulted in at least 11 fatalities among the ranks of the factions, with several additional fighters sustaining injuries of varying severity.
The incident highlights growing friction within de facto security and governance structures, where local commanders and central enforcement units frequently clash over control of lucrative smuggling corridors, taxation, and the redistribution of confiscated drug stockpiles. Despite official pronouncements regarding nationwide bans on narcotics cultivation, remote border sectors like Behram Chah remain critical nodes in regional drug trafficking networks, fueling localized power struggles and internal corruption within the regime.