The Russian government may be providing Taliban militants in Afghanistan with sophisticated weaponry to assist in its fight against the US-backed government, it has emerged.

New photos and video footage obtained by CNN shows insurgents armed with sniper rifles, heavy machine guns and Kalashnikov-type guns which weapons experts who looked at the video said had been stripped of any symbols or insignia which could identify their origin.

In one video, a fighter wearing a mask says he received his arms for free from over the border in Tajikistan.

“These pistols have been brought to us recently,” he says. “These are made in Russia, and are very good stuff.”

In another, a splinter Taliban group in Herat says the weapons in their possession, captured from a mainstream wing, were originally “supplied by Russian government sources”.

The alleged issue was put under the spotlight in April when the leader of US and international forces in Afghanistan said he would “not refute” the anonymous accusations of other US and Afghan officials that Russia is providing weaponry.

Russia must be “confronted” about the claims it had stepped up its assistance to insurgents over the last 18 months, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at the time.

Moscow has repeatedly denied providing the militant organisation with any material or financial aid, but maintains diplomatic ties with Taliban officials in order to push for peace negotiations with the Afghan government and to maintain security.

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Show all 16 1 /16 Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2001 Afghans at the Killi Faizo refugee camp desperately reach for bags of rice being handed out to the thousands who escaped the bombardment in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Chaman, Pakistan, December 4, 2001) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2002 Mahbooba stands against a bullet-ridden wall, waiting to be seen at a medical clinic. The seven-year-old girl suffers from leishmaniasis, a parasitical infection. (Kabul, March 1, 2002) All photos Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2003 A mother and her two children look out from their cave dwelling. Many families who, fleeing the Taliban, took refuge inside caves adjacent to Bamiyan’s destroyed ancient Buddha statues now have nowhere else to live. (Bamiyan, November 19, 2003) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Students recite prayers in a makeshift outdoor classroom in the Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China and separates Tajikistan from India and Pakistan. (Northeastern Afghanistan, September 2, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Bodybuilders in the 55-60 kg category square off during a regional bodybuilding competition. Many Afghan men, like others around the world, feel that a macho image of physical strength is important. (Kabul, August 6, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2008 A woman in a white burqa enjoys an afternoon with her family feeding the white pigeons at the Blue Mosque. (Mazar-e-Sharif, March 8, 2008) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Addicts inject heroin while trying to keep warm inside the abandoned Russian Cultural Center, which the capital city’s addicts use as a common gathering point. Heroin is readily available, costing about one dollar a hit. (Kabul, February 9, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 An elderly man holds his granddaughter in their tent at a refugee camp after they were forced to flee their village, which US and NATO forces had bombed because, they claimed, it was a Taliban hideout. (Surobi, Nangarhar Province, February 7, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Seven-year-old Attiullah, a patient at Mirwais Hospital, stands alongside an X ray showing the bullet that entered his back, nearly killing him. Attiullah was shot by US forces when he was caught in a crossfire as he was herding sheep. (Kandahar, October 13, 2009). Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 US Army Sargeant Jay Kenney (right), with Task Force Destiny, helps wounded Afghan National Army soldiers exit a Blackhawk helicopter after they have been rescued in an air mission. (Kandahar, December 12, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 An Afghan National Army battalion marches back to barracks at the Kabul Military Training Center. (Kabul, October 4, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Eid Muhammad, seventy, lives in a house with a view overlooking the hills of Kabul. He and millions of other Afghans occupy land and housing without possessing formal deeds to them. (Kabul, November 21, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Razima holds her two-year-old son, Malik, while waiting for medical attention at the Boost Hospital emergency room. (Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, June 23, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Young women cheer as they attend a rally for the Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani. (Kabul, April 1, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Burqa-clad women wait to vote after a polling station runs out of ballots. (Kabul, April 5, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2015 Relatives, friends, and women’s rights activists grieve at the home of Farkhunda Malikzada, who was killed by a mob in the center of Kabul. Farkhunda was violently beaten and set on fire after a local cleric accused her of burning a Qur’an. (Kabul, March 22, 2015) Paula Bronstein

Any influx of new weaponry in the volatile country is likely to end in civilian death.

Afghans are already angry with their weak and divided government for its failure to protect them from a renewed wave of militant violence across the country; at least 1,662 people have been killed in attacks carried out by either the Taliban or Isis in the first six months of 2017 alone.

On Monday, Kabul was hit by a Taliban suicide bomb attack during rush hour which killed up to 34 people, once again highlighting the precarious security situation.

Although the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan following the 2001 war, it has steadily regained ground since the majority of US and allied troops left in 2014, and is now in control of some 40 per cent of the country, although it holds no major cities.

The chaos has also allowed Isis to gain a foothold in Afghanistan’s remote eastern provinces.

Last month US President Donald Trump bowed to pressure from the Pentagon to allow the military to set its own troop levels to stop the situation from deteriorating further.

A total of 13,000 US and Nato soldiers are currently in the country, although observers fear after 16 years of war Afghanistan has arrived at a stalemate in the fight against extremism.

While it is expected that 4,000 extra troops will be deployed, there is still no coherent strategy from the Trump administration on the US’s future involvement.

Moscow has long been critical of the US’ handling of its war in Afghanistan and the 16 years of unrest which have followed.

The Soviet Union fought its own bloody war in the country in the 1980s - in which it opposed groups which later became the Taliban - which ended in defeat.