BBC Urdu reported on Sunday, 23 November 2025, that Afghanistan’s change of government has not only reshaped power inside the presidential palace and ministries, but it has also altered the types and brands of vehicles now seen on the country’s roads.
Afghanistan’s change of government has not only reshaped
power inside the presidential palace and ministries, but it has also altered
the types and brands of vehicles now seen on the country’s roads.
Throughout Afghanistan’s history, every political shift has
affected the vehicles used by armed forces. During the Soviet presence and
later the U.S. presence, Afghan forces used different models according to the
dominant power at the time.
Now, under the Taliban’s interim government, officials are
seeking to replace U.S.-made Ranger vehicles with alternative models.
According to a confirmation shared with the BBC, the Afghan
Taliban contacted Toyota Motors—Japan’s leading automobile manufacturer—to purchase
new vehicles. Toyota’s authorized local dealership in Afghanistan is Habib
Gulzar Motors, which confirmed that the Taliban government made an official
request for vehicle purchases. However, that request was not accepted.
Company director Ahmad Shakir Adeel told the BBC that the
Taliban contacted Toyota on September 27, 2025, approximately two months ago.
He explained that Toyota’s representative company in Afghanistan is only
authorized to sell vehicles to international organizations, certain NGOs, and
diplomatic missions.
When asked what response they gave the Taliban, Adeel told
the BBC:
“We declined their request.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior has decided to phase out
the U.S.-manufactured Ford Ranger vehicles and replace them with other models.
However, it remains unclear which vehicles will be selected as replacements.
Japanese-made Toyota vehicles were believed to be among the
main options.
Previously, the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior had told the
BBC that the choice of vehicle model had not yet been finalized. They also
stated that no budget had been approved for new vehicle purchases, but noted
that the new police uniform had been designed to match the Toyota Hilux model.
Over the past two decades, governments backed by U.S. and
Western forces widely used American Rangers. The U.S.-based company AMS,
responsible for vehicle maintenance in Afghanistan, repaired more than 130,000
military and police vehicles between 2017 and 2021, under a contract valued at $1.2
billion.
A former AMS employee, speaking anonymously, told the BBC
that Ranger vehicles were specifically designed with Afghanistan’s terrain in
mind. Most of their parts were manufactured in Thailand and later transported
to Afghanistan.
He said local Afghan workers were trained to maintain these vehicles, but many
have now left the country.
According to him, the Taliban want to replace U.S.-made
vehicles because spare parts are difficult to obtain and extremely expensive.
In addition, international sanctions prevent the Taliban from signing contracts
with U.S. companies like Ford.
After Toyota’s refusal, it remains unclear what alternative
the Taliban will pursue. However, they may purchase vehicles already available
on the Afghan market. Afghanistan imports large quantities of used cars—mostly
Toyota—from Dubai and Iran.
Toyota’s Hilux and Land Cruiser models used in Gulf and
European countries are categorized into three main types.
Mullah Omar and Motorcycles: “The Best Advertisement for
Honda”
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf recounts a story
in his book In the Line of Fire.
He writes that in early December 2001, as defeat approached, Mullah Mohammad
Omar mounted a Honda motorcycle and fled. When Japan’s prime minister asked
Musharraf where Mullah Omar was, he jokingly replied:
“He escaped on a Honda motorcycle, his beard flying in the
wind — the best advertisement Honda could ever get.”
It remains uncertain whether the Taliban founder truly fled
on a motorcycle or a car, but in either case, his vehicle was Japanese-made.
In October 2012, the Taliban claimed to have recovered a
Toyota vehicle from debris in Zabul province. They said it was the same vehicle
Mullah Omar had used to leave Kandahar and disappear after the 2002 U.S.
invasion.
The connection between Japanese vehicles and Taliban
fighters goes back to the earliest days of the movement — and will likely
continue.
Foreign Military Equipment and Afghanistan
For nearly half a century, the military equipment used in
Afghanistan has been tied directly to political circumstances and foreign
involvement.
From 1978 to 1992, when Soviet-backed governments ruled
Kabul, Russian Kamaz trucks symbolized military relations between the USSR and
Afghanistan.
Yet during that same period, Japanese vehicles were widely
used on the frontlines by groups fighting Soviet-backed regimes. That era
marked Toyota’s entry into the Afghan conflict.
During the rise and rule of the Taliban, Toyota became one of the most heavily
used vehicle brands.
After the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent U.S. invasion, the
presence of Western and especially American forces became visually obvious
through the widespread use of U.S.-made vehicles.
Over the last twenty years, the Ford Ranger became the primary vehicle of the
Afghan Ministry of Interior.
Under the Islamic Republic, Afghan forces largely relied on
American-made fleets.
Under the Taliban, however, many officials travel using Honda motorcycles and
the Toyota Fielder model.
Why Do the Taliban Prefer Japanese Vehicles?
Two months after 9/11, The New York Times reported that
Taliban fighters were frequently seen driving Land Cruisers in TV footage. In
response, Toyota issued a statement noting that only one Land Cruiser had been
legally exported to Afghanistan in the previous five years.
Toyota explained that its vehicles seen in Afghanistan were
imported through unofficial or second-hand channels from neighboring countries
— effectively smuggled.
The company expressed concern over its products being associated with the
Taliban and al-Qaeda.
For similar reasons, Toyota has again declined to sell vehicles directly to the
Taliban government.
Toyota says it has no authorized dealership in Afghanistan
and does not ship vehicles there.
Toyota spokesperson Wade Hoyt, based in New York, previously
said:
“This is the worst kind of advertising for us, but it shows
that Taliban fighters — like any other customer — look for reliability and
durability.”
Globally, many propaganda photos and videos of ISIS fighters
during its rise in 2014 showed them driving Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser
models.
Toyota even created a dedicated online Q&A page titled “Reports
on the Use of Toyota Vehicles in Conflict Zones.”
The company emphasized that it follows all international laws and prohibits
military sales without its approval.
Vehicles appearing in conflict zones were typically brought there through
unofficial or second-hand channels outside Toyota’s knowledge.
In some countries, Toyota went as far as requiring customers
not to resell vehicles for at least one year, to prevent their transfer to
armed groups.
The “Toyota War”
Toyota vehicles became famous among armed groups for their
durability, fuel efficiency, off-road capability, easy access to spare parts,
and ability to mount weapons.
In 1977, a war between Chad and Libya became known as the “Toyota
War” because Hilux and Land Cruiser pickups were used extensively on both
sides.
