National Resistance Front

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.