Taliban to recruit suicide bombers in Armed Forces

AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban will officially recruit suicide bombers to become part of the army as the militant group tries to contain its biggest security threat from rival Islamic State since forming government in Afghanistan four months ago.

Before sweeping into power last year, the Taliban used suicide bombers as a key weapon to attack and defeat US and Afghan troops in the 20-year war.

Now the group wants to reform and organise the scattered squads of suicide bombers across the country to operate under a single unit and protect Afghanistan, said the Taliban’s Deputy Spokesman Bilal Karimi.

Their main target now would be the local offshoot of the Islamic State, which has carried out at least five major attacks as the Taliban looked to consolidate power after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in August.

Several of those attacks were carried out by suicide bombers. “The special forces that include martyrdom seekers will be used for more sophisticated and special operations,” Karimi said.- THE HINDUSTAN TIMES