US media claims to have obtained evidence that Russia is arming the Taliban in Afghanistan
US media claims to have obtained evidence that Russia is arming the Taliban in Afghanistan
The Taliban have reportedly received improved weaponry in Afghanistan supplied by the Russian government, evidence obtained by US news outlet CNN found.
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Suspicions that Russians have been arming the Taliban have been circulating among US generals [Getty]
The Taliban have reportedly received improved weaponry in Afghanistan supplied by the Russian government, US news outlet CNN claims.
The news outlet alleges to have two videos showing sniper rifles, Kalashnikov variants and heavy machine guns "highly likely" to be supplied by the Russians.
However, weapons experts say there is no way to verify the origin of the weapons for sure.
There have been accounts of Taliban officials claiming to have been armed by Moscow. Two separate sets of Taliban, one in the north of the country and another in the west, claim to possess weapons which were imported from Russia, according to CNN.
One splinter group of Taliban near the western region of Herat claimed to have obtained Russian guns after defeating a mainstream rival group. Another group alleged that they received weapons provided by "the Russians for free" across the border with Tajikistan.
Suspicions that Russians have been arming the Taliban have been circulating openly among US generals since April, but explicit and irrefutable evidence has yet to have been shown.
The Russian ministry of foreign affairs previously denied such allegations stating that is was only made for the purpose of "covering up Washington’s failure" in Afghanistan.
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