A drone might have been used in deadly Taliban attack

In Kunduz, a province in Afghanistan that has seen heavy fighting, a deadly Taliban attack has most likely been carried out by an over-the-counter drone. Four security officials were killed and at least eight more were wounded.

A drone might have been used in deadly Taliban attack

The deadly Taliban attack, which was most likely carried out by a drone, according to the NY Times, targeted the governor's compound in Kunduz. Four security officials were killed and at least eight more were wounded. The drone attack might mark the Taliban's first drone attack during the 19-year-war.

“When the Kunduz governor bodyguards were playing volleyball in the governor's guesthouse, the explosion took place among them,” said Ghulam Rabbani Rabbani, a member of Kunduz's provincial council. “It is not clear that it was an explosion or a missile or drone attack, ” he added.

On Facebook, Fazal Karim Aimaq, a member of the Afghan Parliament from Kunduz said that the attack represented a ‘new method of attack' but he did not mention if it had been carried out by an over-the-counter drone.

According to the newspaper, the Taliban did not respond to a request for comment.

U.S. officials say there have been previous unreported instances of drones that were used to drop ammunition, a method that was first seen used by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

A similar attack on the governor's compound occurred in May of this year. Initial reports stated that it had been a missile attack, but officials said later that they believed that it could have been a drone attack as well.⠀

Correction, the Taliban drone crashed in Kunduz 🇦🇫 is a Yangda YD4-1000S (1650mm wingspan, 42kg weight, 65m time flight, 2kg payload) h/t @N_Waters89 pic.twitter.com/Vt9w72gMJ8

— Abraxas Spa (@AbraxasSpa) March 20, 2020

According to officials in Kunduz, the Taliban has used small drones for surveillance before. Afghan forces say that they actually have shot down one of them.

The Afghan security forces are not well equipped to defend against attacks from small over-the-counter drones. Many of their outposts are in the open air, making them easy targets for attacks from above.

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