Taliban refuses to return billions in U.S. military equipment
The Taliban do not plan to return the military equipment that remained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops. Donald Trump's demand was met with resistance, and recovering the weapons might be a difficult challenge for the U.S.
After the withdrawal of American troops in 2021, substantial armaments remained in Afghanistan, including about 1,000 vehicles and artillery pieces as well as an unspecified number of aircraft. Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the return of this equipment, making further financial assistance to Afghanistan conditional on meeting this requirement. However, the Taliban have decisively rejected these proposals.
In response to American demands, Kabul expressed the view that the United States should not only abandon attempts to recover the weapons but also support Afghanistan in the fight against the Islamic State of Khorasan through additional supplies. Taliban deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fetrat, briefly noted that they do not plan a more detailed comment at this time.
Equipment worth billions was left in Afghanistan
The withdrawal of American troops was criticized by Trump, and the value of the abandoned equipment is estimated at about 10 billion CAD. Although some of the equipment was deliberately damaged during the evacuation, many vehicles and weapons remained in good condition. The Taliban also managed to repair some damaged units.
The arsenal left behind includes tracked armoured personnel carriers like the M113 or MaxxPro vehicles.
