Speaking to Reuters, the Taliban’s chief of army staff, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, has said that the group is seeking to bolster its defences by acquiring anti-aircraft missiles.
Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat has also revealed that defence has received the largest share of the Taliban government’s budget. “The ministry of defence is the top-ranked in the budget,” Fitrat said. “It received a significantly higher sum than other ministries as it was a priority in the budget, which is largely funded by boosted tax and customs revenue.”
He further complaint about foreign drones entering Afghanistan’s and reiterated the need for the group to acquire anti-aircraft missiles. “Anti-aircraft missiles are the need of countries,” he said, adding that Afghanistan was doing its best to procure them. However, he did not elaborate on where the authorities were looking to procure anti-aircraft missiles from.
Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the group has often claimed of bringing security to the country, despite repeated deadly attacks by ISKP. And the group has itself been accused of widespread abuses of human rights, including extrajudicial killings.
