The ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan is converting a former British airbase into a center for the development and production of kamikaze drones intended for cross-border attacks, Daily Mail reports.
The base, located in Afghanistan’s Logar Province and previously used for two decades by British special forces, is now serving as the primary testing ground for this advanced drone unit, which is equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carrying explosives.
Western intelligence agencies have expressed serious concern that, three years after regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban is enlisting international specialists to develop hundreds of drones.
Among those involved are an engineer suspected of ties to al-Qaeda and another specialist believed to have received education in the UK.
Drone production has reportedly been established at another former military installation — Camp Phoenix — which once served as a major supply and training center for Afghan troops during the war with the Taliban.
Although details about surviving drone components remain unclear, Mail reports that a secret UAV production line exists at the site.
Intelligence suggests that successful test flights of kamikaze drones have taken place at the former British airbase south of Kabul, with reports that some drones have already been used in attacks targeting Pakistan’s border region.
Taliban engineers are reportedly replicating certain UAV models, including the U.S.-made MQ-9 Reaper.
According to intelligence sources, the Taliban’s drone program has been rapidly expanding over the past two years, significantly boosting its capabilities.
The involvement of engineers with links to al-Qaeda in the Taliban’s drone program is especially alarming, evoking the same security concerns that led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Components for the drones are reportedly being sourced from China and Turkey.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 9, 2025