Taliban to build new army in Afghanistan
The Taliban movement said it would start building a new army for Afghanistan.
This comes in the wake of the
departure from Afghanistan of US and NATO troops and the escape of senior
military leaders, after the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August.
The Taliban seized weapons and
equipment valued at tens of millions of US dollars, left behind by foreign
forces.
Taliban Minister of Defense, Muhammad
Yaqoob Mujahid, vowed to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a springboard
for attacks on other countries.
He unveiled his plans to form a
strong army to defend Afghanistan.
"The government will provide
the army with modern weapons," Mujahid said.
He added that the Taliban government
would not allow foreign governments to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs.
"We will maintain the security
of our country's borders as well," he said.
The weapons that fell into the
possession of the Taliban contributed to increasing the military capabilities
of the Afghanistan-ruling movement.
The same weapons also helped the
Taliban extend its control over all parts of Afghanistan, including on remote
military camps that were besieged and then overran by the movement.
Mujahid's announcement about forming
a new army came in conjunction with the killing of four Taliban security personnel
in a bomb attack in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the
attack that targeted a main electricity tower, which led to a power outage in
Kabul and several other states since last Thursday.
The attack was the first by ISIS on electricity
towers in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country.
ISIS activities pose challenges to
the Taliban. This is especially true after the terrorist organization escalated
its activities in recent months.
