KABUL- A new arm of Afghan Taliban has emerged in the past few months inthe Kinduz province and that the fighters carry out night attacks onsecurity forces.
According to security officials, the new Taliban fighting unit is known asRed Division and is based along the bordering area between Afghanistan andTajikistan.
Officials also said the group is well equipped.
In recent months Taliban attacks have increased in these border areas, saidofficials adding that the Taliban’s Red Division is behind these attacks.
The officials said some foreign fighters are also part of the Red Division.
“Red Division (fighters are) being trained and funded by some foreigngroups and this is questionable. Some offensives that they have carried outhave been above the Taliban’s (usual) capacity in terms of tactics,movements and functioning ,” Hamid Saifi, a commander of the nationalarmy’s operation in Dasht-e-Archi said.
Taliban spokesman said they recruit and train their fighters insideAfghanistan.
They denied having links to any foreign countries and said they get theirweapons in raids on security posts.
“Due to Taliban’s ties to Russians, they want to have control overDasht-e-Archi and keep a safe and continued relationship with Russia acrossthe Amu River,” Hamid Saifi said.
According to security officials, the Red Division is based in a forestedarea along the Tajikistan border – which has roads connecting the area toKhawja Ghar district in Takhar and Dasht-e-Archi district in Kunduz.
Security officials said when Taliban come under pressure in Khawja Ghar andDasht-e-Archi by security forces, they flee to the forested area.
Russian soldiers are reportedly stationed across the border in Tajikistanin order to apparently respond to any Daesh threat, Kunduz officials said.
But Afghan forces criticized Russian soldiers for not taking action againstthe Taliban they say are often holed up in no-man’s land betweenAfghanistan and Tajikistan.
Islamuddin, a resident of Khawja Ghar district, said they have seen Russiansoldiers patrolling along the Tajikistan border area, close to theTaliban’s Red Division base.
“There is the Taliban and war and we have witnessed fights for severalyears. Two years ago I was wounded in this war and am still suffering,”said Islamuddin.
The Russian embassy in Kabul meanwhile issued a statement on Monday andrejected the reports. They said Moscow has no ties with the Taliban.