First photos of graduates from "Military Academy of #Kabul".
In #Afghanistan after pol leaders fled & soldiers surrendered, #Taliban have talked about an inclusive national #army curently being reorganised. But what hardware/capabilities will they have
🧵
They have
-Millions of rounds of ammo
-10s of thousands of guns, radios other hardware
-1000s of MRAPs & Humvees
-Dozens of aircraft
-100s of technicians/operators
@AJEnglish had exclusive access to what #Taliban says is the beginning of its own #AirForce
Military analysts say much of the estimated $88 BILLION firepower built by US in its 20-yr #Afghan war is either obsolete/inoperable. The coalition destroyed large amounts of hardware on its way out.
Now some being rebuilt from scrap and spares.
Such as #Mi24 #Mi35 attack helis
This Russian-made Mi35 was taken from Kunduz. It is one of four which are operational.
Taliban have recruited aviation experts, technicians, pilots and operators to run elite squads. Each unit is compartmentalised according to hardware and its teams work in separate spaces.
Taliban say not easy to repair equip. b/c what couldn’t be taken back by foreign troops was smashed; and say 5000 US soldiers weren’t sent for evacuation but to destroy their own equipment.
US forces destroyed nearly 15000 pieces & sent over 700 C-17 aircraft out of #Afghanistan
Meet Squadron leader Qalandar Shah. A 37 year veteran of #Afghan forces. We met him with a former general who was in Zahir Shah's army. There are 30 airfields in #Afghanistan
Qalandar runs the Mi35 fleet with other pilots between #Kabul, #Kandahar, #Kunduz, #Mazar and #Herat
"I used to fly MI35s and then I became commander of the MD530 unit under the Americans. I was forcibly retired three years ago. I still have energy and I want to help my country. As long as I have strength I'll serve my religion and people with pride" Sq Ldr Qalandar told #AJE
For now the #Taliban have no partners or recognition from the intl community and all of the crew is local. The nationalism here makes up for the lack of help.
Until a few weeks ago Farid was hunting Taliban targets. Now he's part of the elite squad of the air force – run by them
“when IEA entered Kabul, first guarantee was general amnesty. I'm sure they'll stand by their words. It doesn’t matter to me who runs the country, our duty is protect assets & resources"
Farid says he’d much rather be a pilot in #Afghanistan – than become a taxi driver abroad.
Q: So what's the #Mi35 fleet worth?
A: It takes $4MILLION to overhaul 1.
Mi-24V Hind-E & Mi-35 (lacking advance capabilities) originally designed in 1970s as an armored attack helicopter with considerable capability offered by its cabin for eight troops.
dfnc.ru/en/journal/202…
Add to US hardware, India's military assistance worth billions of Afghanis provided to the former govt.
In 2018, Four #Mi24s helicopter gunships were replacement for attack helis gifted by #India to #Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016.
Besides the Mi24s, The #Cheetal fleet was also a gift from #India.
Aviation Engineer, Captain Shuja’s team found some parts in storage & salvaged the rest from other aircraft. They meticulously followed blue prints to repair the two functional helis used for high altitude ops
The #Indian govt delivered a total of four Mi24 helicopters and three HAL #Cheetah light utility helicopters to the AAF by the end of 2016
Cheetals were Indian-made while Mi-24Vs were bought after #Afghanistan #Belarus & #India signed a trilateral MoU
economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/i…
Q: What's a Cheetal/Cheetah worth?
A: Approximately $4 Million (77.2/20)👇
army-technology.com/news/newsindia…
#Taliban has an arsenal comparable to some central Asian states but its professional capabilities remain a question. “They can get these things off the ground but for how long could they sustain those air frames without the higher level of maintenance that they require”
#AFG #Air
At the #Kabul boneyard there's #American #Russian #Indian & other equipment. Most is obsolete/unusable but some #Afghans are trying to make it work - some previously worked for US/Afg forces.
We also found a Talib riding a bicycle who let us borrow it after a long day @AJEnglish
@AJEnglish 30+ aircraft ready acc to #Taliban
@SIGARHQ says as of July 31 #Afghan Air Force had
-131 usable aircraft among 162 in its total inventory
-37 UH-60s bought in 2017–18 still held in US
-6 outside #AFG for maintenance.
-25 helis were out of country for repair as per local media
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