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Taliban fighters have reportedly seized several helicopters and light attack aircraft, including 35 US Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
Taliban fighters are typically photographed wearing mobs and vests over traditional Muslim clothing, armed with ancient weapons reminiscent of the Afghan-Soviet war of the 1980s.
Badri 313’s elite special unit wears camouflage clothing and bulletproof vests in both the photo and footage, with tactical helmets (some with night vision equipment) on their heads, armed with M4 rifles and posing next to Humvee armored vehicles. .
M4 firearms are manufactured by Colt’s Manufacturing Company in the United States, and the company supplies weapons to the US military.
The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan has facilitated the storage of weapons and equipment for the Taliban.
“We cannot see the real picture yet, but it is obvious that we have lost part of practically everything. “It really doesn’t look like you’re going to return everything to us, even at that airport,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said after the Kabul capture.
Kabul airport last night# badri313 pic.twitter.com/ZJ4kicHkZI
– BADRI 313 (@ Badri_313Army) September 1, 2021
The Taliban have reportedly managed to nail it into the trillions of rare minerals found in the country.
“Everything that was not destroyed is now in the hands of the Taliban,” said one official, who wished to remain anonymous.
The use of propaganda films and photographs is not a completely new practice for the Taliban. In the past, they have posted videos about special units where the fighters were captured in training camps near the border with Pakistan.
Having recently taken over Kabul, the Taliban are now trying intensely to present themselves as a responsible government rather than a destructive terrorist organization.
Press conferences are used, social networks are used, mainly Twitter, to spread knowledge in English, Arabic and local languages not only to the people of the country, but also to the international community.
After the last American troops left Afghanistan, Badri 313 soon arrived at the Kabul airport.
This unit existed before the Afghanistan takeover, but in the past it was made up of fighters from different rebel groups. Now they act on behalf of the Taliban. The unit is named in honor of the Battle of Badro, during which in 624 Prophet Muhammad led 313 men to victory.
The Taliban are demonstrating on social media their “special forces”: soldiers in new uniforms, ammunition left by the Americans and in stark contrast to the image of a common Afghan insurgent.
Photos and videos of so-called “Badri 313” biased militants are posted online for propaganda purposes to highlight that current Taliban soldiers are better armed and trained, reports AFP.
Their uniforms, boots, balaclava and armor are reminiscent of special forces equipment in other parts of the world. There are no dupata suits, turbans or sandals typical of traditional Taliban soldiers.
Instead of a warm, myopic Kalashnikov thrown over their shoulder, members of the Badri 313 are holding weapons made in the United States (USA), such as the M4 (sometimes even with built-in advanced sights). Night vision goggles are also not uncommon.
The unit “probably represents the best-trained and most-armed Taliban troops on a broader scale, although an exaggerated propaganda hype cannot be expected,” Matt Henman, Janes’ defense consultant, told AFP.
A Western weapons expert hiding behind the pseudonym Caliber Obscura on Twitter said the Badri 313 would not take Western, Indian or Pakistani special forces more seriously.
On the other hand, “they are more effective than ordinary Taliban fighters and much more capable than ordinary Afghan National Army soldiers, seen a few weeks ago,” he told AFP.
#Taliban the fighters enter a hangar in #Acceptance Airport and examine #chinook helicopters after #U.S leaves #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/flJx0cLf0p
– Nabih (@nabihbulos) August 30, 2021
Weapons of the USA
According to experts, the unit named after the Battle of Badro 1,400 years ago, during which the Prophet Muhammad supposedly defeated his enemies with only 313 soldiers, may contain several thousand men.
The number of weapons available to the Taliban is unclear, but many photos posted online show jubilant Taliban fighters posing near armored Humvees, planes and weapons hijacked by the defeated US-armed Afghan National Army.
Experts say that the most advanced equipment, especially helicopters, will be difficult to operate and virtually impossible to maintain.
“There is propaganda, of course, but we have seen that during the latest phase of the attack, which began in May, the Taliban special forces played a key role in the occupation of Afghanistan,” said Bill Roggio, US editor-in-chief. Long war diary.
“As they began to crush the Afghan army, they gradually integrated more and more Western resources. In a sense, the United States has armed Taliban forces,” he added.
In earlier days, Badri 313 was in charge of security at Kabul International Airport and came face to face with US troops overseeing the evacuation of thousands of civilians at the airport.
On social media, Badri 313 militants even mocked Americans by reproducing a famous photo of American soldiers in 1945. On the island of Ivo Jima, hoisting the state flag. The Taliban fighters raised their white flag speckled with black inscriptions.
The Taliban dressed in the American military gear we left behind when we fled the country and mounted their own imitation photo of Iwo Jima. pic.twitter.com/Akr2fQTnvq
– Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) August 21, 2021
Send a signal
Shiv Aroor, senior editor and TV presenter for India Today, spoke of a seemingly new structure within the Taliban 🙂 – irregular forces, a Taliban special operations unit operating not only in Kabul but elsewhere as well. “
“Its members were instilled with the ideology of militant Islam of the Taliban, with a name reminiscent of an ancient religious battle, but the team adapted to modern fighting. The Badri 313 is being trained like any other combat unit, including tactical, assault and offensive training in remote locations in Afghanistan, Aroor added. “Experts believe the Taliban are sending a signal that the Taliban are not a disorderly movement of farmers and herders dismantling weapons, but an organization it has adopted modern military methods, including the tactics of special operations forces. “
According to India Today, in addition to the stolen modern military equipment, the Taliban have several attack and reconnaissance aircraft, including 22 EMB-314 Super Tucano light aircraft, which are equipped with the GBU-58 Paveway II laser bomb system.
“The Taliban have access to precisely controlled offensive helicopters and munitions,” said Gaurav C. Sawant, CEO of India Today. – They hijacked six “MI-24” heavy attack helicopters, which in 2019. It was donated to India by the Afghan Air Force. These are menacingly armed helicopters capable of carrying out a fierce attack on targets on the ground. The 11 US-made MD-530F light weapons helicopters for rapid attacks and special operations are also of great concern. “
“Also to be mentioned are the 35 United States Black Hawk helicopters, 76 Russian MI-17 general purpose helicopters, five Cessna Combat Caravan aircraft, and 12 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft used for reconnaissance and rapid transport missions. Sawant.” Probably those. The biggest planes the Taliban have now are, believe it or not, the C130 Hercules. “They are flown by the Indian Air Force, the United States Air Force, and the Air Force of many other modern countries. With the C130 Hercules, special operations are possible even when the runways are not prepared. They can be flexibly adapted to a variety of military transport operations, including special forces. If the Taliban can lift them up, think of the advantage they will gain. ” .
The Badri 313 is trained like any other modern combat and tactical unit. The training grounds are deep in Afghanistan.
“Once the Taliban regain power, there is no doubt that the irregular forces of the Taliban could be strengthened,” Aroor said. “We should hear a lot more about the Badri 313 in the coming weeks and months.”
Haqqani vaidmuo?
The 313 Badri members appear to have been trained by the Haqqani Network, the fiercest and most feared group of Afghan militants responsible for numerous suicide attacks against civilians, writes AFP.
The group, which operates mainly in eastern Afghanistan (believed to have bases and in northwestern Pakistan), has become increasingly prominent in Taliban activity in recent years. The Haqqani network has also long been suspected of links to the Pakistani armed forces. 2011 US Admiral Mike Mullen called these fighters the “arm” of Islamabad intelligence.
Pakistan denies the allegations.
“There is a good chance that Pakistan provided at least part of the Badri 313 training,” said Henman, a specialist in terrorism and insurgency.
According to Gilles Dorronsor, an Afghan expert at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the emergence of new Taliban teams is part of a broader trend.
“21st century.” The professionalism of Taliban fighters has grown dramatically in the mid-1990s, “he told AFP.
“Their war is different from the war their parents fought with the Soviets. They learned from scratch and are very advanced in terms of combat techniques,” added the expert.
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