The National Museum of Afghanistan will soon be home to a Toyota Corolla wagon, after the vehicle was buried for 21 years.
A Toyota Corolla wagon belonging to the founding leader of the Taliban has been exhumed after more than two decades of being buried underground.
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, the head of the Taliban decided to hide his Toyota to avoid giving away his location, after first escaping in the Corolla during the opening stages of the US invasion of Afghanistan.
According to Pakistani automotive page Karachi Track, the vehicle was wrapped in plastic and only suffered damage to a wing mirror, despite being buried for 21 years.
A number of senior officials within the Afghan leadership have called for the vehicle to be placed in the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul, NBC News reports.
Toyota LandCruiser and HiLux utes have long been favoured by militants in the region, with the US Treasury Department launching an investigation in 2015 to attempt to determine how one group got its hands on so many vehicles.
Toyota assisted with the investigation, implementing policies in order to avoid its cars ending up in the wrong hands.
Anas Haqqani:
— Muhammad Jalal (@MJalal313) July 5, 2022
A person traveled in this car,who recorded the most amazing events in history.He relied on Almighty,led an unequal war against dozens of invading countries & won.The memorial of late Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Muhammad Umar Mujahid should be kept in National Museum. pic.twitter.com/MGkYpyvTyW
“Toyota has a strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities, and we have procedures and contractual commitments in place to help prevent our products from being diverted for unauthorized military use,” Toyota said at the time.
“However, it is impossible for any automaker to control indirect or illegal channels through which our vehicles could be misappropriated, stolen or re-sold by independent third parties.
“We are committed to complying fully with the laws and regulations of each country or region where we operate, and require our dealers and distributors to do the same.”
But the tables may be about to turn, with the Australian Army announcing last month it was conducting a trial of six-wheeled Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series vehicles modified by Australian Patrol Vehicles in Queensland for reconnaissance duties on local soil.
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