Afghanistan’s Education Minister Habibullah Agha has admitted that US drones patrol Afghan skies every night, declaring it proof that the country remains under foreign occupation and conceding that the Taliban are incapable of defending national sovereignty. His remarks, delivered at a school inauguration in Paktia province on Sunday, underline the regime’s failure to secure Afghanistan despite its claims of independence.
Agha told the audience that “Kalashnikovs and swords” were meaningless in the modern era, stressing that without mastering advanced sciences, Afghans cannot build drones, aircraft, or modern defense systems. “If we are not familiar with modern sciences, we cannot build drones, airplanes or bombs,” he said, a rare acknowledgment that Afghanistan remains vulnerable under Taliban rule.
Observers say the statement highlights the contradiction between the Taliban’s repeated boasts of liberating the country and the reality that foreign aircraft operate over Afghan territory with impunity. Despite claiming to have ended occupation, the Taliban leadership has failed to establish control of Afghanistan’s airspace or demonstrate the capacity to protect its borders.
Analysts note that the remarks also reflect deep frustration within the regime, as even senior officials now publicly concede that the Taliban’s reliance on outdated weaponry and rhetoric cannot shield Afghanistan from foreign dominance. Critics argue that the Taliban’s inability to modernize or build credible defense systems has reduced Afghanistan to a position of weakness and dependency, undermining the very sovereignty they claim to safeguard.
