Afghan Taliban Use Captured Humvees in Suicide Attack

Afghan Army soldiers operating in Helmand Province in 

December. In recent months, insurgents have collected 

American-supplied Humvees — more than 150, by some 

accounts. Credit Abdul Khaliq/AP

In an attack using a tactic long feared by Afghan officials, Taliban suicide bombers riding in two stolen Afghan Army Humvees clashed with security forces on Saturday in southern Helmand Province, killing six security personnel at a checkpoint, Afghan officials said.

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While the Afghan government has publicly played down the threat, in private, officials have warned that insurgents, who have in the past largely relied on motorcycles and basic weapons, could gain new advantages by turning seized or abandoned military equipment against Afghan security forces.

As insurgents grabbed territory last year that was once controlled by Afghan forces, they also seized weapons and Humvees provided by the American military from bases and checkpoints abandoned by Afghan forces, which are stretched thin fighting on their own without the combat assistance of NATO forces.

The exact number of Humvees taken by the Taliban is unclear, but accounts from multiple officials and Taliban commanders from across the country suggest that it could be more than 150.

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