[Toyota’s negative response to the Taliban]
BBC Dari, 22 November 2025
The Taleban planned to replace the Afghan police’s main personnel carrier – the US-produced Ranger pick-up (sanction make it difficult to obtain spare parts) – by another brand, and turned to Toyota. The reply was negative:
Toyota’s official representative in Afghanistan, Habib Gulzar Motors, confirmed that it received a call from the Taleban government to buy the car, but has not accepted the request. Ahmad Shakir Adil, the company’s president, in response to questions from the BBC, said that the call was made on September 27, 2025 (about two months ago). Mr. Adil wrote that Toyota’s representative in Afghanistan is only authorised to sell cars to “United Nations agencies, NGOs and a number of embassies.”
Against the backdrop of this recent episode, BBC Dari tells the history of the Afghan police’s vehicles, from Kamaz during the Soviet occupation to the Ranger. It also recalls the story of Mulla Omar’s escape in 2001 – on a motorcycle of a Japanese brand, or a Japanese-built car. Or both, swapping the vehicle on the way?
Revisions:
This article was last updated on 24 Nov 2025
