Photo from Afghanistan shows Taliban posing with what appears to be Connecticut State Trooper hat

Jessika Harkay, Hartford Courant
·2 min read
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Photo from Afghanistan shows Taliban posing with what appears to be Connecticut State Trooper hat

Photos posted by a British tabloid not only showed Taliban militants and their response to the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan, but also members of the Taliban surrounding a desk with what may be a Connecticut State Trooper’s hat.

The photos, posted by The Sun, captured a group of six armed Taliban militants surrounding a desk with two hats seated in the middle, one of the hats, appears to be a grey Stetson hat with gold and blue around the band, and in the middle, the words “STATE POLICE” are etched in gold.

“Hundreds of Connecticut State Police Troopers, active and retired, have and continue to proudly serve in the U.S. armed forces overseas. The exchanging of a police hat or police patch within law enforcement has traditionally been associated with a sign of trust and respect,” Brian Foley, the assistant commissioner for the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, said.

The picture, published on Tuesday, was captured inside the headquarters of a former British police training site in Kabul, the tabloid said, adding that the hats “had been left as gifts to police trainees.”

Foley said that though it’s not certain the hat belonged to a state trooper, “it is plausible and we believe that a retired trooper of the rank of Lieutenant or higher, deployed overseas, exchanged the CSP hat for this honorable purpose.”

The United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan Tuesday, marking the end of a 20-year war. However, thousands of Afghanis have been trying to flee the country in fear of Taliban reprisals once the American military left.

“There are many Afghan allies whose families are at risk — very severe danger. The Taliban are not to be trusted,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal said at a news conference Monday, prior to the full withdrawal. “We should use whatever means of escape are possible. We should use every point of leverage to put pressure on the Taliban.”

Jessika Harkay can be reached at jharkay@courant.com.