According to DPA, Afghan police in Kunduz are looking for 15 Chechen women in the northern Afghan province who are aiding the Taliban. The women are either serving as nurses or “are experts in making roadside bombs and suicide vests.” The information comes from a captured Afghan Taliban commander and other fighters in custody. Keep in mind that “Chechen” is often shorthand for Caucasians. From DPA:
Police in the northern Afghanistan province of Kunduz are searching for up to 15 Chechen women, who have been assisting Taliban insurgents in the region, officials said Monday, confirming for the first time the presence of foreign female militants.
Information regarding the presence of foreign female militants emerged last week after Afghan forces recaptured Dashti Archi district, the Taliban’s last redoubt in the province, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sayedkhili said.
‘Some of these women are working as nurses to treat injured Taliban fighters, while others are experts in making roadside bombs and suicide vests,’ he said.
Former Taliban fighters have confirmed the presence of female militants, Sayedkhili said.
Around 300 Taliban have surrendered in the province in the past two months after Afghan forces backed by German and US troops began a massive operation.
Prior to the offensive, Kunduz was the main hub for the Taliban insurgency in the otherwise relatively peaceful northern region.
Mullah Jamalluddin, one of the former Taliban commanders, confirmed the presence of Chechen women in an interview with Kunduz’s government-run television.
The former militant leader, who commanded around 30 fighters and worked closely with foreign militants, said that some of the Chechen women had married Afghan Taliban fighters.
