Sharjah24 – Reuters: As the U.S. has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, it has left behind vast amounts of equipment.”
Citing a U.S. Government Accountability Office audit, The New Statesman reports that thousands of land vehicles, aircraft, helicopters and weapons handed over to the Afghan army between 2003 and 2016 could now be in the hands of the Taliban.
Those land vehicles include: 22,174 Humvees,[a] 42,604 Light Tactical Vehicles, 8,998 Medium Tactical Vehicles and 189 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicles.
The weapons include: 358,530 rifles, 64,363 machine guns, 12,692 shotguns, and 126,295 pistols.
The aircraft include 23 A-29 Super Tucano [b]Fighters, 10 AC-208 Eliminator Armed Caravan reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft, 23 Cessna-208 Caravan utility aircraft, and 3 Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Finally, there were also 32 Russian-made MI-17 utility and attack helicopters, 33 UH-60 Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters, and 43 McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender light utility helicopters.
It is unclear exactly how much of this equipment is now in the hands of the Taliban, but The New Statesman reports that the Taliban is now likely the only extremist group in the world in possession of an air force.
What’s more, this list does not account for equipment that was previously in use by the U.S. military which has also been left behind following its high-speed evacuation.
General Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters on Monday the U.S.left behind around 70 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft at Kabul airport, as well as the C-RAM missile defense system it used to repel an S-K rocket attack in the final hours before its departure. The general said this equipment had been disabled.
For an optimal experience, please
