Taliban dismisses Trump's demand for return of $7B (CAD 10bn) U.S. arms
The Taliban have dismissed Donald Trump's appeal for the return of equipment left in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American forces in 2021. Amid increasingly loud discussions, it's estimated there could be about 1,000 various American vehicles and artillery pieces, along with an unspecified number of aircraft.
In a speech on the eve of his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump conditioned further financial aid to Afghanistan on the return of American military equipment still in the hands of the Taliban. Comments from Afghanistan indicate that retrieving the weapons there may pose a significant challenge for the United States.
They don't want to return the American equipment
According to sources such as the Hindustan Times and Stars and Stripes, a person familiar with the situation, who wishes to remain anonymous, reports that the Taliban believe the United States should not only refrain from taking back the abandoned weapons but should also provide additional resources to combat the Islamic State of Khorasan. "At the moment, we do not intend to comment on this," wrote Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fetrat.
Military equipment valued at approximately CAD 10 billion
The circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan have been repeatedly criticized by Donald Trump. It is estimated that the military equipment left behind by Americans may have a total value of about CAD 10 billion.
Some American equipment was deliberately damaged during the evacuation, but much remained intact. Additionally, the Taliban managed to restore some of the weapons and vehicles that required repairs. The Defense Express portal estimated this might include significant quantities of M113 armoured personnel carriers, Maxxpro armoured vehicles, and MSFV armoured vehicles, as well as several dozen M114 howitzers of 152 mm and a few planes and helicopters (including multirole UH-60 Black Hawks).
Much of the captured American military equipment appears in the annual parades marking the Taliban's return to power. Some observers see a chance to normalize relations with the USA through the more than CAD 12 billion in frozen currency reserves, to which the Taliban hope to gain access.
