In recent days, the Taliban Ministry of Defense has released images showing a number of the group’s fighters particularly special forces units carrying out military exercises similar to those once conducted by the former Afghan army. In these images, Taliban troops are seen rappelling from helicopters using ropes, while others perform special military drills from elevated structures.
Such exercises were previously carried out by the special forces of the former Afghan government, who had been trained by American and NATO instructors. Photos and videos of those exercises were also widely shared in the media and on social networks.
Last week, the Taliban Ministry of Defense announced that hundreds of its fighters had graduated after completing six months of commando-related military training and ideological instruction at the “Saad bin Abi Waqas” military training center affiliated with the Taliban’s “Special Forces Division.”
During the graduation ceremony, Mawlawi Mumtaz Ahmad Haqqani, deputy commander of the Taliban Special Forces Division, stated that the group is working to train professional forces to preserve the “Islamic system.” Meanwhile, Hamidullah Akhundzada Saeed, the First Deputy Minister of Defense, claimed that the Taliban’s special forces are capable of defending the Taliban government.
Addressing the newly graduated fighters, he said: “You are a generation raised in the blood of martyrs, and you have undergone difficult and advanced military training so that you are capable of carrying out any military mission.”
Over the past nearly five years, the Taliban have continued military training programs while also organizing various military parades and demonstration exercises. In these displays, Taliban fighters appear carrying American weapons such as M4 rifles and using Humvee armored vehicles left behind by the former Afghan government.
After the collapse of the former republic, the Taliban gained access to a large portion of the military equipment, infrastructure, and facilities of the previous Afghan government, including those belonging to the army, police, and national security institutions. Due to the rapid fall of the government, a significant amount of military equipment, training centers, and databases fell into Taliban hands without being destroyed.
According to reports, the Taliban are using the same structures and training materials from the former government to train some of their forces. The group has also employed a number of military instructors from the republican era to continue training programs.
The only major difference in the Taliban’s training process is said to be the addition of ideological instruction alongside military training. In their statements and training programs, the Taliban consistently emphasize concepts such as “jihad,” “Islamic Sharia,” and fighting against “infidels.”
During the war years, the Taliban also used religious schools and mosques to recruit fighters, and they continue to combine military and ideological training simultaneously in their current training centers.
At present, in addition to light American weapons such as M4 and M16 rifles and night-vision equipment, the Taliban also possess armored Humvees, Black Hawk helicopters, MD-530 helicopters, and some Russian-made helicopters.
However, reports indicate that part of this equipment has become non-operational due to shortages of spare parts, lack of technical facilities, and weaknesses in maintenance and repair capabilities. Despite this, the Taliban continue to use operational equipment and regularly release new propaganda images and videos showcasing their military capabilities.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
