At least seven Afghan pilots have been killed outside the base in recent months, two senior Afghan government officials told Reuters. Representatives of the Russian-banned Taliban claimed responsibility for the killings, saying it was only part of a campaign to ensure that US-trained Afghan pilots were “found and eliminated.”
According to the agency, while the United States is preparing to officially end its 20-year military mission in Afghanistan, and in fact, is simply fleeing in a hurry, leaving its former allies without any help, Taliban militants are quickly seizing the territory they are leaving and are already threatening to take over the capital. Afghanistan city of Kabul.
A recent report by the US special envoy to Afghanistan to Congress said the news that the Taliban were deliberately looking for Afghan pilots was a disturbing development. This is of particular importance because, along with the Afghan Special Forces, the Afghan Air Force is the backbone of the national strategy to prevent Taliban takeover of cities.
The same document emphasizes that the Afghan Armed Forces are demoralized and refuse to carry out combat missions without air support and special forces.