Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff, said that efforts over the past four years to recover military aircraft flown out of Afghanistan during the collapse of the former government have failed to yield results.
Fitrat emphasised that the aircraft belong to Afghanistan and that the Taliban will not relinquish them.
During a presentation of the Taliban Ministry of Defence’s annual achievements on Tuesday in Kabul, Fitrat again raised the issue of the aircraft currently held in Uzbekistan.
On 15 August 2021, Uzbek authorities reported that 22 Afghan military planes and 24 helicopters had entered Uzbekistan’s airspace and declared that the aircraft would not be handed over to the Taliban. Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, stated that the aircraft are the property of the United States and will remain in Uzbekistan with Washington’s consent.
The Taliban leadership has repeatedly maintained that the aircraft belong to the Afghan people and have demanded their return. Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid has warned that the Taliban will not allow the aircraft to be seized or utilised by Afghanistan’s northern neighbours.
Fitrat reaffirmed that efforts have continued over the past four years and, despite a lack of progress, the Taliban remains committed to reclaiming the aircraft.
Taliban’s 150,000 Army and Downsizing
Fitrat confirmed that the Taliban maintains a military force of 150,000 personnel but noted that the Ministry of Defence reduced its staffing by 20 percent over the past year.
Earlier this year, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada directed that 20 percent of staff from the security institutions including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, and General Directorate of Intelligence be transitioned to “active reserve” status.
Taliban and the Durand Line
Fitrat also addressed the situation along the Durand Line, stating that the Taliban had established 15 brigades, three battalions, and 765 border outposts over the past year.
According to Fitrat, 340 kilometres of road have been constructed in border regions to connect security outposts, and at least 13 coordination centres with neighbouring countries have been planned, of which seven are operational.
As with previous Afghan administrations, the Taliban does not formally recognise the Durand Line and has frequently engaged in border clashes with Pakistani forces, particularly over the construction of military outposts along the frontier.
