From Bacha Bazi Circles to the Taliban Power Structure; The Life Story of “Juma Fateh”

Report: Shahbanu Noori

Badakhshan – The name “Juma Fateh” has become a well-known name among Taliban commanders and officials in recent years. He, who is now the deputy governor of the Taliban in Zabul Province, has traveled a different and ups and downs path from a remote village in Badakhshan to the power structure of the group.

Juma Fateh, known as “Juma Bacha Bazi”, is a resident of the village of Shakh Dara in Nasi District of Badakhshan Province. He grew up in a low-income family and spent his childhood and adolescence in difficult economic conditions. According to local residents, in addition to studying at school, he also participated in the family’s agricultural work and later turned to shopkeeping to make ends meet.

Residents of the area remember him as a Bacha Bazi man with an interest in art and music. He sang in local circles and sometimes collaborated with local artists and musicians. In those years, few people imagined that this young villager would one day become one of the influential figures of the Taliban in northeastern Afghanistan.

After graduating from school, Juma Fateh, the famous Mullah Juma Bachabaz, joined the demining organization "Hello Trust" and worked in this organization for several years. But his life gradually entered a new phase; according to the stories, his Bachabazar ran away from him, a phase that changed his path from civilian activities to the field of armed conflict.

According to local reports, his name was first mentioned in some events and security files in Badakhshan. At the same time as the Taliban's influence expanded in parts of Badakhshan, Juma Bachabaz also joined the group and went to centers under Taliban control to receive military training.

According to field reports, he quickly established his position among the Taliban forces, most of whom were Pakistani. After the killing of a number of local commanders of the group, he was given more responsibilities and gradually became one of the influential Taliban figures in Darwaz districts.

In the following years, his name was mentioned in connection with a number of Taliban operations in Badakhshan. According to local sources, he played a role in some of the most important Taliban military movements in Nasi and Mayimi districts. It is also reported that he was arrested several times, but returned to his activities after a while.

During the wars of the past two decades, Juma Fateh was repeatedly targeted by government forces and airstrikes, and was seriously injured in one of these attacks. However, his activities continued and after T-Alban returned to power in 2021, he was appointed as the Taliban’s deputy governor in Zabul province.

Despite his official activities in Zabul, reports indicate that his influence and communication network are still maintained in Badakhshan. In recent months, his name has been raised again in connection with tensions and disputes surrounding the extraction of gold mines in Nasi district.

Some local sources believe that Juma Fateh still enjoys significant influence among Taliban-affiliated forces in Badakhshan, an issue that has kept his role in the security and economic equations of the province prominent.

Juma Fateh's story is a reflection of the profound political and social changes in Afghanistan in the last two decades; a path in which a young man who was passionate about music and ordinary rural life became one of the well-known figures of the Taliban and part of the group's power structure.