Conflicts & War

Taliban to build regular army ‘like rest of countries’

Kabul, Jan 6 (EFE).- The Taliban Thursday said it will form a regular army to take on the responsibility of defending Afghanistan’s security after the Afghan military was dissolved when the fundamentalist Islamist group seized control of the country in August.

“As other countries have an army, we will also build a national army, which will have necessary groups such as commando and special forces,” Taliban’s deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi told Efe.

Karimi’s remarks come to reject reports attributed to Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid that the group is allegedly planning to train suicide bombers to be part of its army’s special forces.

“Mr. Mujahid hasn’t told such things and the words of Mr. Mujahid are misunderstood by the media, and the Islamic Emirate will form a national army to serve their country and people of Afghanistan,” Enayatullah Khwarzmi, spokesperson of Taliban’s ministry of defense, explained to Efe.

The Taliban has been working on building its own armed forces since returning to power following their swift victory over the country’s 300,000-strong army.

On Tuesday, Tariq Ghazniwal, a Taliban spokesman, wrote on Twitter that some 81 US military aircraft remained in Afghanistan after the US troops’ withdrawal.

The Islamic State terror organization has intensified its attacks since the Taliban came to power. On August 26, 170 people died in an attack on Kabul airport while thousands were attempting to flee the country by plane.EFE

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