Afghan pilot Hamidullah Azimi.
On August 7, the Taliban assassinated a pilot of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) in the Chahar Asiab district of the capital, Kabul.
The pilot, identified as Hamidullah Azimi, was killed when a magnetic explosive device, that had been planted under his vehicle by operatives of the Taliban, blew up. According to the TOLO News, six civilians were wounded in the same blast.
Azimi was a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. The AAF uses its unarmed Black Hawk helicopters for tactical transport only.
However in a statement, Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed that Azimi was “bombing civilians” in his US-made helicopter.
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The Taliban has been working to deplete the AAF by targeting its bases, equipment and pilots for a while now. Last month, the group claimed that it destroyed three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in two “tactical attacks” on Kunduz Airport in northeastern Afghanistan. The first attack took place on July 11, while the second was on July 16.
The group also claimed that its fighters shot down a MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light scout attack helicopter in the southern province of Helmand on July 29.
The AAF slowed down the Taliban advance on several fronts in the last few months. The group sustained heavy losses as a result of airstrikes carried out by the AAF.
