Taliban wearing US army gear mock iconic WW2 image of Marines raising flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 and release footage showing them armed with American weapons

 

A group of Taliban fighters released a collection of propaganda footage, including a photo where they mocked the famed World War II picture of soldiers raising the American flag on Iwo Jima.

In the original 1945 photograph, a group of six Marines are depicted hosting the flag on Mount Suribachi.

The Taliban's Badri 313 Battalion recreated the image this week. 

In their version, a group of soldiers is seen hoisting the Taliban flag in a similar fashion while sporting U.S. weapons and gear that was likely stolen from allied militaries during patrols of Kabul.

The Badri 313 is a special unit of Taliban fighters that dress like U.S. soldiers by wearing camouflage, combat boots and body armor. The soldiers drive armored Humvees and carries M4 carbines.

The Badri 313 was reportedly named after the Battle of Badr that is written about in the Qur'an, in which the Prophet Mohammed successfully defeated an enemy force with just 313 men - some 1,400 years ago. 

The unit, previously unveiled by the Taliban in promotional material, are reportedly highly trained and equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment. 

Where the unit acquired the equipment is unknown, but it appears to be a combination of U.S. military hardware and that use by Afghan forces, likely seized as Western and allied forces withdrew from the country.

In videos released by the group, the Badri 313 soldiers are seen with military helmets and sunglasses instead of the usual tuban, bullet proof vests over camouflage jackets and trousers instead of the typical robes, and armed with tactical rifles.

In addition, the unit appears to be armed with modern sidearms, wearing modern combat boots, and even have night vision goggles - making them difficult to distinguish from any other country's special combat units.

U.S. officials say the militant group has seized what remains of the approximately $28billion in weaponry that America gave the Afghan forces between 2002 and 2017.

'Everything that hasn't been destroyed is the Taliban's now,' one official told Reuters on the basis of anonymity.