Former Afghan Intelligence Chief Claims India Helped Expand Taliban Drone Capabilities.
Ahmad Zia Saraj, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, has claimed that India played a role in helping the Taliban develop their initial drone capabilities.
Saraj said the Taliban purchase commercial drones from open markets and modify them to carry explosive devices. He also alleged that reports exist of Indian cooperation with the Taliban in this field but provided no further evidence.
He described the Taliban’s recent drone attacks on Pakistan as “symbolic and propagandistic,” arguing that they had little military value and were intended mainly to influence public opinion. Saraj warned that the Taliban have been expanding their drone program for years and are now seeking to compensate for their lack of an air force through drone assembly and production.
