Taliban Shows Off ‘Pride’ of Its Military: the ‘Martyrdom Brigade’ Suicide Bombers

A taliban fighter stands inside the district center of Bagram in Parwan province on August
WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty
Frances Martel

The “Interior Ministry” of the terrorist government of the Taliban advertised in a news conference on Sunday the development of an armed forces wing dedicated to suicide bombing, the “Martyrdom Brigades,” calling the bombers “our source of pride.”

The Interior Ministry praised the would-be suicide bombers on the same day the Taliban “defense ministry” accused Pakistan of allowing American drones to fly out of its skies to conduct operations within Afghanistan, condemning the measure – a notable accusation in the aftermath of an American drone strike killing Ayman al-Zawahiri, the elderly head of al-Qaeda in Kabul in early August.

Taliban jihadists, who have for decades maintained cozy relations with al-Qaeda, have denied having any evidence Zawahiri was in Afghanistan and claimed they have yet to find his body.

The Taliban has been in control of Afghanistan for over a year after the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in August 2021. It has used its power to establish an authoritarian sharia state it refers to as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” The regime has been defined by its thugs regularly harassing citizens to maintain Islamic beards, keep their women from leaving the house, and obey the mandates of its “Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice,” which replaced the Afghan women’s ministry.

Taliban fighters stand guard at the backstage as the army chief of staff Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat (L), acting defence minister of Afghanistan Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid (C) and Taliban defence ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khawarizmi speak during a press conference in Kabul on August 28, 2022. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Taliban jihadists began their rule by promising the world that their return to power would be more “inclusive” than the regime they presided over in Afghanistan during the 1990s, but ordered women not to leave their homes except for in emergency cases a little more than a week into their new administration.

The Taliban is a Sunni jihadist terrorist organization that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 through 2001, when the American government overthrew it in response to al-Qaeda’s attacks on the United States on September 11 of that year. The Taliban claims to have cut ties to al-Qaeda, but overwhelming evidence – including American intelligence placing Zawahiri in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan – suggests the two groups remain close. The Taliban has appointed several members of the Haqqani Network, a deadly liaison group that bridges the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to top government positions.

The Taliban’s “interior minister” is Sirajuddin Haqqani, a top Haqqani Network terrorist. The U.S. government is currently offering a $10-million reward for information leading to Haqqani’s arrest; the New York Times published an opinion column by Haqqani in 2020.

On Sunday, “deputy interior minister” Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali told reporters that the “Martyrdom Brigades” were an “integral part” of the Taliban’s “jihad.”

“The martyrdom brigades (suicide bomber battalions) are an integral part of our Jihad and our source of pride, their small or large number is confidential, which we do not see it necessary to explain,” the Afghan news outlet Khaama Press quoted Jalali as saying. Jalali reportedly described the formalization of suicide bombers as a wing of the military as unprecedented: “the Afghan military and security forces’ organization has never before included suicide bomber forces.”

The “Interior Ministry” boasted of its suicide bombers as the Taliban “Defense Ministry” accused neighboring Pakistan of aiding the American government, warning Islamabad to cease cooperation with Washington.

“Based on our information, these [drones] enter Afghanistan through Pakistan and use Pakistan’s airspace. We ask Pakistan not to use its airspace against us,” “Defense Minister” Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said in remarks on Sunday, according to the Afghan outlet Tolo News. Reinforcing the warning, Taliban terrorists published several propaganda videos this weekend highlighting the training of its jihadis.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid initially announced the creation of a “Martyrdom Brigade” of military suicide bombers in January, describing the Taliban military as “inclusive” because it would also allegedly include women.

“Zabiullah Mujahid said that the battalion will be used during special operations,” Khaama Press reported at the time. Mujahid had told reporters that the Taliban armed forces already consisted of 100,000 soldiers at the time, notable given that the official military of Afghanistan, the National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), collapsed entirely shortly before the Taliban arrived in Kabul. Taliban jihadists seized their equipment, including vehicles and firearms – much of it paid for by the American taxpayer. Taliban terrorists have held parades to show off their American munitions.

The formalization of suicide bombers occurred months after Sirajuddin Haqqani used his newfound Afghan government authority to hold a ceremony in October to honor jihadist suicide bombers, offering cash rewards to their families and proclaiming them “heroes of Islam.”

Haqqani offered about $110 and “clothes” to the families of suicide bombers who had helped fight the Afghan government and its American allies, proclaiming “the advent of the Islamic system is the result of the blood of our martyrs.”

“Last year, a ceremony honoring the suicide bombers who killed thousands of civilians, American and allied forces in Afghanistan was held in Kabul by the Taliban’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani,” Khaama Press recalled on Sunday. Khaama added that Haqqani had boasted in the past that the Haqqani Network “has carried out more suicide operations than any other group,” claiming over 1,000 successful suicide missions in 15 years.

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