Badri 313: Taliban display 'special forces' in new avatar

The Taliban has been showing off its own "special forces" on social media with "soldiers" in new uniforms equipped with looted American equipment who contrasts sharply with the image of the usual Afghan insurgent. Here are some pictures of Taliban fighters in a new avatar:

The Taliban have been showing off its own

The soldiers are shown in uniforms, boots, balaclavas and body armour similar to those worn by special forces around the world -- and unlike the shalwar kameez, turban and sandals of the traditional Taliban fighter. Credit: AFP Photo

Rather than a battered Russian-designed Kalashnikov rifle slung over their shoulder, the men of

Named after the battle of Badr 1,400 years ago, when the Prophet Mohammed supposedly vanquished his enemies with only 313 soldiers, the Taliban unit could number up to several thousand men, experts say. The amount of equipment at their disposal is unclear, but multiple pictures online show jubilant Taliban fighters posing with captured armoured Humvees, aircraft and weapons abandoned by the defeated US-equipped Afghan national army. Credit: AFP Photo