Juma Khan Fateh Mullah

2. Previous Function:

Halo-Trust Employe (2009-2013)
Shaakhdara village council for one year

Taliban's commander for Darwaz

District governor of Nusay

Appointed as the administrator of five Darwaz districts (2021-2026)
Deputy Governor of Zabul, on 22 June 2026, he was dismissed.

3. Biodata:

Mullah Juma Khan Fateh was born 1984 or 1985, aka Juma-e Talban. He was born in Shaakhdara to a poor rural family. He completed his elementary education through 11th grade at Zaghar High School and 12th grade at Nusay High School. During his school year, he worked with his father on the farm and as a shopkeeper in the center of Nusay.

Fateh worked for the HALO Trust from 2009 to 2013. Apart from that, he also became a singer, performing and playing tabla at community events. He also got elected as a member of the Shaakhdara village council for one year.

Upon resigning from the HALO Trust demining organization, he planned to kill the HALO Trust boss in Jamarch, Nusay. However, the assassination attempt failed, causing him to flee to Khoi. Afterward, he and his colleagues stole the teacher's salary in Obghan. In 2014, he and several Shaakhdara left the village and sought refuge in the mountains.

Fateh joined the Taliban in an unknown year. Upon becoming a member of the Taliban, he went to Wurduj to undergo military and religious training. Upon completing the training, he earned the title of mullah. He then served as the Taliban's commander for Darwaz after the death of his predecessor, Islamuddin, due to the explosion of a homemade mine. As a commander, he was known as a ruthless and eliminated his rivals within the Taliban.

From 2016 to 2018, the Afghan police arrested Fateh and his five subordinates thrice. However, the police released him from all three detentions following mediation by the residents. During his imprisonment, he established a network with NDS agents who helped secure his release from jail.

Fateh commanded the Taliban's attack in Nusay District and Maimay District in 2020. The attack in Maimay caused the Taliban to control the district for two days. The Afghan air force launched an airstrike toward him, and he survived, although it paralyzed his left hand and damaged his eye.

After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Fateh was appointed as the administrator of five Darwaz districts and called himself "Conqueror of the Darwaz Districts". He gained more influence in Badakhshan after seizing weapons stockpiles from former governments. His influence is further strengthened when Hibatullah Akhundzada appointed him as the commander of anti-poppy cultivation and drug-production facilities operation in Badakhshan in December 2024. He claimed that he commanded 10.000 troops in Badakhshan, Takhar, and Kunduz.

Fateh has a significant economic influence in Darwaz. He gained wealth from land seizures, extortion, and shares of the profits of all local businesses, especially gold mining. He operated gold mining in the Shikai District. He gained more wealth, which he spent on religious institutions, mosques, and luxurious vehicles. He founded madrassas in Shekay, Maimay, Nusay, Kuf, and Khwahan. Other than that, he also played a role in converting Chinese citizens in Badakhshan to Islam.

In 2023, he released a video executing a person whom he accused of rebellion. In the video, he stated that those who rebelled against the Taliban government deserved to die. Later, he said in public gatherings that he would execute his father and brother if they conducted armed rebellion against the government.

In early 2026, his position as administrator of five Darwaz districts was stripped due to a dispute over gold mines and his coercive behavior. Afterward, he was posted to Zabul, where he serves as deputy governor. Although he served as Deputy Governor of Zabul, he still retains huge influence in Darwaz.On 22 June 2026, he was dismissed as the Deputy Governor of Zabul and his position was replaced by Faizullah Tamim.

Fateh considered Ismailis as infidels and had no knowledge of religion. He and his men forced Ismailis to renounce their beliefs and convert to Sunni through coercion, intimidation, financial incentives, land seizure, and promises of employment. The Ismailis who refused to convert to Sunni were subjected to beating, imprisonment, death threats, and even execution. However, he denied the allegation of converting Ismailis to Sunnis by force, claiming that they entered it voluntarily.

To facilitate the conversion of Ismailis to Sunnism, Fateh ordered Ismaili families in Nusay to send at least one of their children to his madrassa and sent Sunni clerics to the local mosque. He also ordered his men to raze the shrine of Ismaili figures in Parkhikh. Through his force conversion effort, there were approximately 100 Ismailis and Shias who converted to Sunni in 2025. Some of the Ismailis who converted to Sunni are recruited as his personal bodyguards. The recruitment of former Ismailis was undertaken to encourage them to abandon their beliefs.

The dispute over control of gold mining in Shekay District arose between the locals and the Fateh group. The local accused his group of seizing the gold deposits. Responding to the tension, the Taliban arrested the commander of Nusay, Musa Kaka, who is also part of Fateh's group, on 20 April 2026. As a result, around 200–300 Fateh troops moved to the mountainous area. Moreover, he ordered local miners and his troops to switch off the mines when the Governor of Badakhshan, Ismail Ghaznawi, visited the mine on night. However, the governor visited the mine during the day and ordered Fateh to pay khums. Afterward, he hid all mining excavators and equipment and removed the tend. Furthermore, the governor ordered to stop the gold mining operation in Badakhshan, leading to tension with the central government. However, he refuted the rumor of tension between him and the central government and the arrest of his men during a speech in Juy Dara on 1 June 2026.

The governor's decision to halt the gold-mining operation led Fateh to facilitate a demonstration by Nusay residents against the suspension. The tension between the Taliban central government and Fateh continued as the negotiations stalled. Hibatullah labeled him a rebel and ordered the arrest of Fateh in Darwaz. In response to the arrest warrant, he and his troops prepared to resist the arrest.

Several of his relatives joined the Taliban. His brother, Abdul Fattah, serves as the commander in the Taliban ranks. Haji Mohammad Yasin Khadem, Fateh's maternal uncle, became deputy of the Taliban commissariat in Nusay district.
On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, a delegation sent by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, held talks with representatives of Juma Khan Fateh in Shighnan district, focusing on his disarmament. 

The Taliban delegation included Abdul Haq Wasiq, Director General of Taliban Intelligence; Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Staff of the Taliban military; Qari Din Mohammad, the Taliban Minister of Economy; Shamsuddin Shariati, Director General of the Taliban’s Supreme Directorate for Monitoring and Follow-up of Decrees and Orders; Amanuddin Mansoori, the Taliban governor of Helmand province; and several local Taliban members. The talks between the Taliban delegation and representatives of Juma Khan Fateh lasted five hours and centered on the disarmament of his fighters. A source said the meeting ended without any outcome and that Juma Khan Fateh rejected the Taliban’s demand that he disarm. However, according to the sources, Juma Khan Fateh pledged that he would remain at home and would not oppose the Taliban, provided that no one interferes with him.(20260702)
 

Former Zabul Deputy Governor Jumah Khan Fateh has dismissed reports claiming he had disagreements with the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), saying the allegations are unfounded.

Fateh made the remarks after travelling to Kabul, where he met with the Prime Minister at the Presidential Palace. He was accompanied by the Chief of Army Staff and the Minister of Economy.

In an interview with the BBC, Fateh said he has never opposed the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, describing media reports of alleged differences as “far from the truth.”

He said his departure from his post in Zabul was due to language-related challenges and health concerns, adding that he remains ready to serve the country in any role assigned to him by the leadership.(20260716)

Juma Khan Fateh, a disgruntled Taliban commander who had clashed with non-local fighters of the group in Nusay district of Badakhshan last Tuesday, was transferred to Faizabad today by a Taliban helicopter. Meanwhile, the process of disarming the forces under his command is proceeding intensively.

A local source says that Juma Khan’s men have gathered in the Qoghz area and are surrendering their weapons to Taliban forces who arrived in the area along with the group’s district governor.(18082026)