Regarding Pakistan’s barbed wire along the Durand Line, Mujahid said that a final decision regarding the matter was yet to be taken by the Taliban leadership….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan will initially have a 110,000-member army, the Taliban’s acting Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid said, adding that the number will be increased if required.
Speaking to state media, Mujahid said that some 10,000 people have been trained for the army since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, while an additional 80,000 have enrolled, Khaama Press reported on Tuesday.
He also said that 4,000 choppers have been reactivated, along with planes and vehicles.
About the officers of the former Afghan government, the Minister said that up to 90 per cent of the employees of the Defence Ministry are former officers and that those had left the country have been contacted to return to Afghanistan and resume their jobs.
Meanwhile, Mujahid denied rumours about Afghanistan’s military equipment being transported to Pakistan and said that they were strictly managing the country’s borders and will allow no one to take the equipment out.
He blamed neighbouring Iran and Turkmenistan over recent clashes in the shared borders and said that the Afghan guards have been directed to be cautious, reports Khaama Press.
Regarding Pakistan’s barbed wire along the Durand Line, Mujahid said that a final decision regarding the matter was yet to be taken by the Taliban leadership.
Mujahid also underrated the Islamic State-Khorasan, saying that the terror group was not a threat to Afghanistan.
“Rumours about potential resistance against the Taliban are ungrounded and baseless. No one will cause problem to deteriorate Afghanistan’s current security situation.”
Taliban hopes relations with Russia will grow
Even though the Taliban has not been recognized by Russia as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, it hopes to strengthen ties with the country, Sputnik News Agency quoted acting Afghan foreign minister as saying on Monday.
“Russia has not named conditions for the recognition yet, but we have a good relationship. The Russian embassy is open in Kabul and the Afghan embassy is open in Moscow… We hope that this interaction will continue to grow,” Amir Khan Muttaqi said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a Taliban delegation led by Amir Khan Muttaqi began talks with representatives of the Gulf states in Doha.
“A high-level Afghan delegation led by Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in the capital of Qatar (Doha) and will discuss a range of issues with the envoys of the Gulf countries on Monday,” said Zia Ahmad Takal, the deputy spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, reported Tolo News.
The delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday. According to the ministry, the delegation of the caretaker government is scheduled to hold talks with representatives of the European Union, the Union of Religious Scholars, and diplomatic missions operating from Qatar on behalf of Kabul.
“The recent visit of the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate to Doha is in fact a follow-up to the continuation of diplomatic relations with foreign countries, which will provide the grounds for international recognition,” said Nasir Ahmad Haidari, a political analyst.
It has been nearly six months after the Taliban recaptured power in Afghanistan but they have not been recognized by any country yet.
