National Resistance Front
| National Resistance Front جبهه مقاومت ملی | |
|---|---|
Flag of the National Resistance Front | |
| Leader | Ahmad Massoud |
| Head of Foreign Relations | Ali Nazary |
| Head of the Political Bureau | Abdullah Khenjani |
| Chief of Staff | Qadam Shah Shahim |
| Spokesperson | Muhammad Fahim Dashti † (17 August – 6 September 2021) Sibghatullah Ahmadi (6 September 2021 – 8 August 2023) |
| Dates of operation | 17 August 2021 – present (4 years and 7 months) |
| Headquarters | Dushanbe, Tajikistan (political base) |
| Active regions | Active in Panjshir, Parwan, Baghlan, Wardak, Daykundi, and Samangan provinces, and reported to have expanded guerilla operations into Herat, Kabul, and Takhar provinces |
| Ideology | Human rights Counterterrorism Democratization Decentralization Multiculturalism Social justice |
| Status | Active |
| Size | Unknown; NRF reported claim of 5,000 fighters |
| Allies | State allies
Non-state allies
|
| Opponents | Preview warning: Page using Template:Plainlist with unknown parameter "title" |
| Battles and wars | Afghan conflict |
The National Resistance Front (NRF) is an Afghan military organization fighting the Taliban in the republican insurgency in Afghanistan. The group was founded by Ahmad Massoud following the fall of Kabul on 17 August 2021 and has been considered as the successor to the historic anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military alliance (1996–2001).
The NRF exercised de facto control over the Panjshir Valley and was the only region out of the Taliban's control until September 2021 when the Taliban seized Panjshir, forcing NRF fighters to retreat to remote valleys while Massoud subsequently sought refuge in neighboring Tajikistan. Since then, he has been leading the political operations of the NRF and working to gain support from the international community. Nevertheless, the group continues to carry out hit-and-run guerilla attacks in Afghanistan against the Taliban, with operations reported in multiple provinces beyond its original base.
The NRF's ideology consists of decentralization, and a commitment to a democratic political system that upholds human rights. The group is composed mainly of Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks with a sizeable minority of anti-Taliban Pashtuns. The NRF is also allegedly supported by Tajikistan, and by some accounts, Iran and Pakistan, all of which have a complex relationship with the Taliban.