Taliban raises new 'Panipat' military unit: Why new division has got Indian Twitter angry

The Taliban has drawn ire from Twitter users in India after it announced the inauguration of its new military unit in the country’s Nangarhar province — the Panipat operational unit.

What’s the story here? Let’s find out.

Taliban’s Panipat unit

The Kabul-based media website Aamaj News reported that the Taliban had inaugurated the new military unit and that it would be deployed to the country’s Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan.

The news outlet also shared photographs of masked Taliban fighters in military uniform holding US-made rifles and taking out a parade in Nangarhar’s capital Jalalabad.

This new unit is part of broader move being initiated by the Taliban, under which the country aims to have a 110,000-member army. This number will be raised further if needed, Taliban’s (acting) defence minister was quoted as saying.

According to media reports, 10,000 people have been trained for the army since the Taliban takeover, and an additional 80,000 have been enrolled thus far.

Inspiration from Panipat battle

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The unit’s name draws inspiration from a famous historical battle that was fought in the 18th Century and saw the Maratha army being defeated by the forces of an Afghan ruler.

The Third Battle of Panipat was fought between the Maratha Empire and the invading Afghan army of Ahmad Shah Abdali (and his Indian allies) in 1761. Abdali had won the battle, and it is estimated that 60,000–70,00 people were killed in the fighting, while many were taken prisoners.

In India, the bravery of the Maratha soldiers is still talked of and in 2019, a Bollywood entitled Panipat showcased the bravery of the Marathas.

Reactions

While some condemned the announcement, many others in India made fun of it.

An Indian Twitter responded to the move saying such jingoism is nothing new for Taliban as it shows its clear desperation for some reaction. The social media user further said that the terror group should help Afghans first instead of taking jibes at Indians.

Another Twitter user questioned the logic behind the name for the unit.

I don't know what message the Taliban is sending, but in the first two battles of Panipat, it was basically an Afghan element (Hemu notwithstanding during the 2nd battle) that faced defeat.

— Saurav Jha (@SJha1618) February 14, 2022

Others also asked if this was a taunt to India.

Afghanistan : Taliban names new military unit 'Panipat' with reference to the victory of Ahmed Shah Abdali over Marathas in the 3rd Battle of Panipat (1761)

Is this their new strategy to mock Indians ?
Did they forget that Afghanistan was once part of a Hindu Nation before that? pic.twitter.com/CFVTUbdk1n

— Sharansh Guha (@sharanshguha) February 15, 2022

Taliban’s ties with India

Since coming to power after taking over Afghanistan in August 2021, following the departure of US troops from the war-torn country, the Taliban and India has had an up and down relationship.

While India has said that it would not recognise the Taliban regime, it has been playing a ‘watch and wait game’ to see how other countries are dealing with them.

India is still sending aid to the war-torn country, however, at much lower levels.

With inputs from agencies

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