Will Increase Army Strength to 200,000, If Required, Says Taliban Defense Ministry

The Taliban Ministry of Defense announced the possibility of an increase in the number of personnel in the group’s army to 200,000. Enayatullah Khwarizmi, the Taliban’s defense ministry spokesman, said that the group has an army with a strength of 100,000 to 150,000 personnel.

After taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban announced that the group will form a 100,000-member strong army.

The Taliban’s military recruits must have a background of membership of the group.

According to the decree, attributed to the leader of the Taliban Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group can’t hire former Afghan national army soldiers in its military establishment.