Yaqub Mujahid: We are seeking to strengthen defense capabilities so that Pakistan does not think of attacking Afghanistan

Kabul- Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, the acting defense minister of the Taliban government, announced after returning from an official visit to Russia that the group is trying to improve Afghanistan's defense capabilities to a level that no country, especially Pakistan, would think of carrying out military attacks against Afghanistan.

Yaqub Mujahid described his visit to Moscow as successful at Kabul airport on Saturday and announced the imminent start of the implementation of the military and technical cooperation agreement between the Taliban and Russia.

According to him, this agreement does not have a direct defense or security nature, but was signed with the aim of rebuilding, repairing and maintaining Russian-made military equipment that is available in Afghanistan.

The acting defense minister of the Taliban stated that a significant part of Russian military equipment, including airplanes and helicopters, is in Afghanistan's possession and their effective use requires technical cooperation with Moscow. He added that the practical process of implementing this agreement will begin in the coming days.

Mujahid also did not rule out the possibility of signing similar agreements with the United States in the future, saying that some of the American military equipment still remains in Afghanistan and that technical cooperation is needed to maintain and maintain it.

In another part of his speech, he referred to Afghanistan’s need for air defense systems and said that the Taliban would decide on the provision of such systems in the future.

These statements come at a time when relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been accompanied by increasing tensions in recent months. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of harboring members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but Taliban officials have denied these allegations.

In recent months, Pakistani air and rocket attacks on some areas of Afghanistan have also increased tensions between the two sides. Earlier, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had warned that Islamabad would consider the option of carrying out a large-scale operation against Afghanistan if armed groups continued to attack the country’s security forces.

Recent statements by the Taliban’s acting defense minister indicate that the acting Afghan government is working to strengthen its defense capabilities against regional security challenges and threats, while expanding military and technical cooperation with Russia.

Reporter: Shahbanu Noori