KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban-led Ministry of Defense has expressed a need for Russian air defense and space control systems to secure Afghanistan’s airspace, according to a Taliban official.
Abdul Basir Saberi, the Taliban’s head of logistics at the Ministry of Defense, stated in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS that the Taliban intends to acquire Russian military equipment as soon as international legal conditions allow.
“We believe that we need air defense and space control equipment. We have the necessary ground systems, and when international legal conditions are met, we plan to purchase these products from you [Russia] on an international level. In the future, we intend to establish an air defense system using Russian-made equipment. We are interested in acquiring such weapons because you are the world’s leading country in these technologies,” Saberi said.
Fitrat noted that the Taliban has been engaged in diplomatic talks with these countries to address the issue, aiming to achieve full control of Afghan airspace by next year.
He did not specify which countries’ drones have been operating in Afghan airspace, nor did he elaborate on the origins of these aircraft.
Afghanistan has witnessed frequent drone activity in various provinces, from Kandahar—the stronghold of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada—to Kabul, Panjshir, Laghman, Parwan, Kapisa, and Baghlan.
Earlier this week, Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff, acknowledged that Afghanistan’s airspace is not fully under their control and has been violated by several countries.
The drone activity comes amidst regional and international concerns over presence of Daesh, TTP and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
