According to informed sources, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has ordered the establishment of a special 8,000-member unit to oversee and secure the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. The force, which will operate under the name “Hebati,” is expected to receive higher salaries and greater privileges than other Taliban personnel.
Sources said the primary objective of the new unit is to manage and ensure security in border regions adjacent to Pakistan. Once the force is fully organized, responsibility for monitoring the Durand Line and commanding all border-related movements, clashes, and ceasefire decisions will be transferred to this unit.
Two sources in Kandahar and Kabul stated that personnel currently stationed at border outposts will remain in their existing locations; however, overall operational management and command authority will be placed under the new force. According to these sources, decisions regarding whether armed engagements occur, as well as other matters related to border security, will fall within the unit’s jurisdiction.
According to information provided by the sources, 4,000 members of the force are currently stationed at the brigade headquarters in Zhari district of Kandahar Province, where registration and organizational procedures are ongoing. Another 4,000 personnel are based in Kabul, where recruitment and administrative arrangements are also underway.
Sources emphasized that the unit will operate directly under the authority of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and will not be incorporated into the organizational structures of the Taliban’s security ministries. They stated that members of the force will be accountable solely to the Taliban leader.
One source closely involved in the registration process said that the unit will not include enlisted soldier ranks; recruitment will begin at the officer level. According to the source, members will enjoy special privileges and will not be subordinate to either the Taliban Ministry of Defense or the Ministry of Interior.
Sources close to the Taliban indicated that the majority of the unit’s personnel have been recruited from the provinces of Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Helmand, while a smaller number of fighters from Zabul Province are also among its ranks.
According to the sources, once recruitment is completed, the unit will be equipped with advanced military equipment left behind by the United States, including night-vision systems, military vehicles, operational helicopters, and reconnaissance drones.
Members of the force will also receive specialized training in topography, border patrol operations, prevention of illegal crossings, anti-smuggling measures, surveillance and identification of suspicious individuals, and the use of GPS technology, drone-mounted cameras, and reconnaissance drones.
Regarding the command structure, sources said that 4,000 personnel will be stationed in Kandahar and another 4,000 in Kabul. When required, they will be deployed on missions by direct order of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The sources did not provide information about who will command the unit. However, some speculation suggests that one of the commanders of the Taliban’s seven military zones may be appointed to lead the force.
Some analysts view the creation of the unit as an effort to strengthen oversight of border patrols, security checkpoints, movement management, and monitoring of cross-border activities along the Durand Line.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
