China Has Become A Target In Kabul's Power Struggle Between Taliban Factions. Here's Why | Exclusive

Last Updated:January 20, 2026, 15:43 IST

While Kandahar-based leadership views China as a crucial economic and diplomatic partner, the Haqqanis see Beijing’s expanding role as a direct threat to their influence

Sources told CNN-News18 that Kandahar wants Chinese engagement to continue and expand, particularly in mining, oil and infrastructure projects that provide fast cash to the Taliban administration. (AFP)

China’s growing economic footprint in Afghanistan has emerged as a major fault line within the Taliban, deepening an internal power struggle that is increasingly playing out through violence in Kabul.

According to top Taliban-linked sources, the divide between Kandahar and Kabul is essentially a contest between Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s camp and the Haqqani network. While Kandahar-based leadership views China as a crucial economic and diplomatic partner, the Haqqanis see Beijing’s expanding role as a direct threat to their influence.

Sources told CNN-News18 that Kandahar wants Chinese engagement to continue and expand, particularly in mining, oil and infrastructure projects that provide fast cash to the Taliban administration. Chinese firms, unlike Western investors, do not attach human rights conditions to their deals and offer a degree of international legitimacy—factors that significantly strengthen Akhundzada’s position both domestically and abroad.

At the centre of these investments is Bashir Noorzai, a powerful warlord and trusted Akhundzada ally from the influential Noorzai tribal network. Since his release in a 2022 prisoner swap with the United States, Noorzai has reportedly emerged as a key intermediary for Chinese investments entering Kabul. Taliban sources describe him as the main channel through which Chinese capital is flowing into Afghanistan.

The attack in Kabul a day earlier, according to sources, was aimed primarily at targeting Noorzai rather than Chinese nationals alone. Disrupting his role is seen as a way to weaken Kandahar’s economic leverage.

From the Haqqani network’s perspective, Chinese money has tilted the internal balance of power. “Cash is everything for the Taliban right now, and Chinese funding is making Kandahar stronger," a source said. Undermining Chinese confidence through repeated security incidents, they believe, could slow or halt projects, thereby forcing Kandahar leaders back to the negotiating table over power-sharing and resource distribution.

This internal rivalry has intersected with the activities of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). ISKP’s openly hostile stance toward China, particularly over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, makes Chinese-linked targets a convenient pressure point. Taliban insiders suggest that attacks affecting Chinese interests serve multiple objectives: weakening Kandahar’s financial base, creating uncertainty for Beijing, and reshaping internal Taliban dynamics.

For Kandahar, Chinese engagement brings not just money but diplomatic cover at a time when the Taliban remains internationally isolated. For the Haqqanis, however, the same relationship represents a strategic threat that consolidates Akhundzada’s dominance.

As Afghanistan’s fragile power balance continues to shift, China’s presence has become more than an economic issue—it is now a central factor in the Taliban’s internal struggle, with violence increasingly used as a tool to renegotiate authority within the movement.

News world China Has Become A Target In Kabul's Power Struggle Between Taliban Factions. Here's Why | Exclusive

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