Taliban celebrations erupt across Kabul

 Source Daily Telegraph 31/08/21

Link

Taliban celebrations erupt across Kabul

As US troops finally departed from Kabul, celebratory gunfire and fireworks erupted over the city as the Taliban declared "full independence".

Shaky video footage distributed by the Taliban showed fighters entering the airport, bringing an end to the largest airlift in recent history and closing the final route to safety for many desperate Afghans seeking to flee the insurgents. 

"It is a historical day and a historical moment," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference at the airport after the departure.

"We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a great power... this is a big lesson for other invaders and for our future generation. 

"Congratulations to Afghanistan... this victory belongs to us all."

Many Afghans are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban's initial rule from 1996-2001, which was infamous for their treatment of girls and women, as well as a brutal justice system.

However, the Taliban have repeatedly promised a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power, and Mujahid continued that theme.

"We want to have good relations with the US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all," he said, insisting that Taliban security forces would "be gentle and nice".

Military hardware left behind

Afghan Air Force A-29 attack aircraft is left abandoned inside a hangar at Kabul airport

After seizing control of Kabul airport on Monday night, elite Taliban fighters were pictured posing with military hardware left behind by the US Army and the ousted Afghan special forces. 

It was claimed last week that the vast amount of equipment left behind by the US military is worth $85 billion and includes 75,000 vehicles, 200 airplanes and helicopters and 600,000 small arms and light weapons.

Other equipment seized by the Taliban includes night-vision goggles, body armour and medical supplies, according to Republican congressman Jim Banks, a former US Navy reservist.

Jack Watling, a research fellow for land warfare at the British defence think tank RUSI, said it is unclear how much military equipment the Taliban had seized. 

"The Afghan army maintained no records so a lot of the figures going round are just tabulations of what was given to them," he said. 

"The Taliban will have everything that is on that list but not necessarily in the quantities being described," he added. "In terms of volume, even the Afghan army had no idea how much of this stuff they had in store."

He said that due to a lack of maintenance and access to spare parts, much of the advanced equipment and aircraft falling into the hands of the Taliban will soon fall into disrepair. 

However, he warned of the possibility that the Taliban will distribute excess weaponry abroad. 

"Al shabab getting hold of night vision goggles and thermal imaging and scopes in large numbers would increase the threat to Western forces there," Mr Watling predicted, referring to the terrorist group active in East Africa. 

Elite Taliban fighters move in to secure airport 

In a bid to secure Kabul airport following the departure of US troops, members of the Taliban's elite "Badri 313" special forces unit were seen across the airport on Tuesday.

The Taliban released a propaganda video on its social media channels earlier this month announcing that the elite forces were set to be deployed to key sites across the capital in a bid to maintain security after seizing power.

The video showed the fighters more closely resembling the deposed Afghan government's special forces than the Taliban's typical image of rural guerilla.

Images of the Taliban's special forces on Tuesday showed them donning modern military equipment, including helmets, uniforms and automatic rifles. 

Pressure is now firmly on the Taliban to maintain stability on the streets of Afghanistan as the threat of violence and further terrorist attacks conducted by IS-K looms large. 

In the wake of the suicide bombing at Kabul airport last week, which left 13 US troops and around 170 Afghans dead, the Taliban blamed American forces for not stopping the attack, saying they had happened in an area in which they were responsible for security.

But with power now firmly back in the hands of the Taliban, Afghans and the international community will be watching closely to see whether they hold true on their pledge to return stability to the streets of Afghanistan.