Afghan Mujahadeen with surface to air stinger missile, near Jalalabad 1989.Photo from Pakistan Defence
Iran Training Taliban Fighters To Use Surface-To-Air Missiles
Iranian military advisers have been training Taliban fighters in Afghanistan on the use of surface-to-air missiles, a potential game changer in the war if insurgents can use such weapons effectively, several current and retired military officials told The Washington Examiner.
"We know the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] has been training Taliban fighters in the use of surface-to-air missiles," said a military official in Afghanistan with knowledge of the situation. "As of the moment it is uncertain whether the Taliban has access to the weapons systems necessary to utilize this training against the coalition."
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My Comment: Concerns about the Taliban obtaining surface-to-air missiles are warranted. When the U.S. covertly supplied stinger anti-aircraft missiles to the Mujaheddin during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, this immediately impacted Soviet air superiority and their ability to protect their ground forces. The Taliban are also well aware of this history, and they know that if they can diminish U.S./Nato air superiority, this will immediately impact the ground war and the ability of coalition forces to assist ground forces when they are attacked.
The question that should be asked is why have the Taliban not been successful in the past few years of obtaining such surface-to-air missiles .... since it is probably the most coveted weapon sought by the Taliban. My guess is that suppliers are afraid that if the Taliban are given such weapons, some may inevitably end up in the hands of Al Qaeda groups who will then use it to shoot down passenger planes in the West and/or elsewhere. But if Iran is now supplying these weapon systems .... a certain line has been crossed, and the consequences from such an action cannot be underestimated.