RASC News Agency: In a recent report, Forbes magazine disclosed that the Taliban are striving to develop Afghanistan’s air defense system using Russian military equipment. However, Russia has yet to express significant interest in fulfilling the Taliban’s request, with the Kremlin appearing more inclined to supply advanced missiles to groups like Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The American publication, in its report released on Tuesday, September 10, highlighted that by early 2023 less than two years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces the group had allocated a substantial portion of the national budget to defense.
Earlier, Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of General Staff, asserted: “There is no doubt that Afghanistan is making every effort to establish an air defense system.” Abdul Basir Saberi, head of logistics at the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense, also remarked in an earlier interview with Russia’s TASS news agency that the Taliban are keen to purchase Russian military equipment due to its cutting-edge technological advancements.
Saberi stated: “In the near future, we plan to procure Russian-made equipment that will allow us to establish an air defense system. We desire such weaponry because Russia leads the world in these technologies.” Reuters had previously reported that the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense has intensified efforts to acquire air defense systems from Moscow to control Afghanistan’s airspace.
Furthermore, other reports from within the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense suggest that Russian engineers have entered negotiations with the group regarding the repair of aircraft and other military hardware.
