Few people know that the Taliban also has a notorious special team called the Red Group, this force has high combat skills, modern equipment can create assassination attacks, terrifying raids on the opponent.
When people think of the Taliban, people often think of fighters in traditional ethnic clothing and armed with AK-47 rifles. Few people think that they also have special forces with military uniforms and modern weapons, possessing good fighting skills. This special task force is called the Red Group.
Red Group brings together the best fighters of the Taliban force. In addition to the combat mission in the assault, they are also used to propagate the power of the Taliban.
Unlike other components, Red Group is equipped with military camouflage uniforms, using the best weapons available in the Taliban. In addition to Western-like military uniforms, Red Group also has a traditional military uniform modeled after the clothes of Afghan men. Red Group is equipped with helmets fitted with Russian night vision goggles, AK, M4 or SCAR rifles fitted with American laser target indicator lights and sights sourced from Iran or Pakistan, in addition they have armor as well as personal protective equipment.
These gunmen often move in the pickup truck of the Afghan police or the armored Humvee of the Afghan army that they obtained, thereby creating confusion when launching the attack. The Red Group has carried out attacks in the western and southern provinces of Afghanistan, killing many government security personnel, most of them police officers.
The Afghan government before its collapse admitted that this force was better equipped than most government troops, especially the police, causing them to suffer many casualties.
With the tactics of using vehicles like the army and police, the Taliban’s special forces can easily approach government checkpoints to launch a surprise attack. “The Taliban use a variety of tactics. These gunmen have their own special mobile force equipped with modern equipment, which specializes in attacking bases and then quickly withdrawing to avoid air attacks,” an official from the army said. Afghanistan once said.
Afghan police commanders have previously said that the Red Group fighters are equipped with night vision goggles and laser indicator lights, allowing them to accurately strike government troops while they are unable to return fire effectively.
The source of modern weapons for the Red Group is still a mystery. The organization claims to have seized them from government units. But Afghan officials believe that this type of night vision goggles is only equipped for elite units and is not so many that the Taliban can easily capture. In addition, the equipment of the Afghan army is all American-made, while the Taliban are using products originating from Russia, Iran, China or Pakistan.
It is likely that the Taliban’s Red Group traded opium for this equipment on the black market. This task force has a big role in the success of the Taliban today. Now with the military equipment obtained from the government troops, the Red Group will become stronger and stronger.