Taliban May Have Used Elbrus Missile System to Strike Pakistan

On the night of October 12, the Taliban allegedly launched ballistic missiles from the 9K72 Elbrus operational and tactical missile system at Pakistan.

Untold News published a video capturing two launches on its X page.

In Afghanistan, a convoy of trucks carrying 8K14 R-17 missiles intended for the Elbrus system was also spotted.

The same convoy also contained 9M21F missiles for the 9K52 Luna-M system.

In 2022, the Taliban presented Luna-M and Elbrus tactical missile systems at the parade.

These OTMSs were probably taken from those that had been standing in the Panjshir Gorge for years and restored after being stored in poor conditions.

The Elbrus and Luna-M were brought to Afghanistan during the Soviet military campaign of 1979-1989.

After the withdrawal of Soviet troops, approximately 43 launchers remained in the country. They were in service with a missile battalion of the Special Forces Guards of the Ministry of State Security of the Republic of Afghanistan. As of 2005, five launchers remained.

According to available data, between 1989 and 1991, Soviet troops used 4,330 missiles of the 8K14-1 and 9M21 types in Afghanistan.

The 9K72 Elbrus army tactical missile system with an 8K14 (R-17) missile is designed to destroy manpower, control centers, airfields, and other important enemy targets. The system was developed between 1958 and 1961.

The R-17 ballistic missile with a liquid jet engine provides a maximum range of up to 300 kilometers.

The 9K52 Luna-M system was adopted in 1964 after the first launch of the 9M21 missile on December 27, 1961. The range of this missile system is up to 70 kilometers.