New Delhi: Taliban has once again captured Afghanistan after 20 years. On 15 August 2021, Taliban fighters also destroyed Kabul, the last fort in Afghanistan. This success of the Taliban has shaken the whole world. In November 2001, US forces drove the Taliban out of Kabul. In such a situation, the question arises that how did the Taliban continue their struggle against the world’s most powerful army for 20 years.
The Taliban’s occupation of the power of Afghanistan was only 5 years before this. After 2001, when the US eliminated the top leaders of the Taliban, people felt that the return of the Taliban was no longer possible. But the Taliban defeated Afghanistan after a long wait of 20 years. The country that America was continuously helping on many fronts of the war. Be it modern weapons or world-class military training. It is being said that America spent 80 billion dollars in the name of training and weapons in Afghanistan. In such a situation, the question arises that how did the Taliban stay on the battlefield? From where did they get the funds? Let’s take a look at the answers to all these questions…
Money from drug dealing
In a May 2020 report, the United Nations Security Council estimated that the Taliban collects $ 300 million to 1.5 billion in funds annually. Whereas in 2019 these figures were less. It was also said in this report that the Taliban is spending very carefully in times of cash crisis.
Methamphetamine business: The real income of the Taliban comes from the drug trade. Consignments of drugs are illegally transported from Afghanistan to many countries of the world. Opium is cultivated here. Apart from this, he would have earned a lot by selling heroin. But in recent years, the Taliban have started supplying drugs called methamphetamine. According to experts, there is a lot of money in this. It costs less than opium and heroin. Drugs are supplied through the border of Pakistan.
Production of opium: In a report published last year, UNODC said that Afghanistan is the country where opium is produced the most. In the last five years, 84 percent of the world’s opium was produced here. It is supplied to the markets of neighboring countries and Europe. In addition, drugs are supplied to East, South Asia, and Africa and to a lesser extent North America (especially Canada) and Oceania.
Earnings from mining, taxes, and donations
- In addition to the illegal drug trade, illegal mining and export business is also run under the supervision of Mullah Muhammad Yacob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Muhammad Omar.
- Illegal mining of iron ore, marble, copper, gold, zinc and rare metals generates more than $450 million.
- $160 million from extortion and taxes.
- The Taliban also received a massive donation of 240 million dollars from the countries of the Persian Gulf.
- The report said that the Taliban also have assets worth $ 80 million in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Weapons found from Pakistan and loot
- It seems that the Taliban had no shortage of weapons to fight the Afghan and US forces. The Taliban has always been getting support from Pakistan. But the Taliban did not depend on any single source of arms and ammunition.
- Many journalists like Gretchen Peters and Steve Cole have repeatedly pointed to the support of the ISI and the Pakistan Army to the Taliban.
- The Taliban have received money directly from the Haqqani network, the tribal areas of Pakistan and a huge Islamic mafia based in Afghanistan.
- Money has been received from Pakistan’s extremist groups, religious schools, Gulf countries and Arab countries. American leaders and generals have openly accused Pakistan of using Taliban funds it received to fight against the radical movement.
- In September 2017, then Afghan army chief General Sharif Yaftali told the BBC that he had documents to prove that Iran was supplying weapons and military equipment to the Taliban in western Afghanistan.
- A November 2019 report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency stated that since 2007, Iran has provided weapons, training and funding to the Taliban to counter US and Western influence in Afghanistan.
- The US has also accused Russia of supporting the Taliban, but there is little evidence of this.
US military assets with Taliban
There is no data available about what kind of US military assets and the number of weapons are in the hands of the Taliban.
The US said in a report in 2017 that between 2003 and 2016, the US supplied 75,898 vehicles, 5,99,690 weapons, 208 aircraft, and many types of equipment for intelligence, surveillance, to the Afghan army. Over the years, 7,000 machine guns, 4,700 Humvees, and over 20,000 grenades have been given to Afghan forces. It is being said that now many of these weapons may have been captured by the Taliban.
