Taliban hold military parade with U.S.-made weapons in Kabul in show of strength

Taliban forces ride in a car during a Taliban military parade in Kabul, Afghanistan November 14, 2021. REUTERS/Ali Khara

KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban forces held a military parade in Kabul on Sunday using captured American-made armoured vehicles and Russian helicopters in a display that showed their ongoing transformation from an insurgent force to a regular standing army.

The Taliban operated as insurgent fighters for two decades but have used the large stock of weapons and equipment left behind when the former Western-backed government collapsed in August to overhaul their forces.