US left behind $7 bn worth military equipment in Afghanistan post Taliban takeover: Report

United States military h left behind an estimated $7.12 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan during chaotic withdrawal that concluded on August 30, a DOD report accessed by American brocaster CNN revealed on Wednesday, April 27. Those military equipment has now fallen into hands of enemies— Taliban. US Defense Department also has “no plans” to eir retrieve left weaponry from Taliban “or destroy" equipment, wide-ranging congressional mandated DoD report stated. 

Equipment intended for ANDSF now likely in hands of terrorists 

US military h handed Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) equipment ranging from aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, and communications equipment amounting to $18.6 billion between 2005 to August 2021. A huge number of military hardware was seized by Taliban extremists at time of hasty Afghanistan withdrawal, which was censured by lawmakers on both Republican and Democratic Party sides.

"Much of remaining equipment left in Afghanistan requires specialized maintenance that DoD contractors previously provided to Afghan forces in form of technical knowledge and support," report h claimed. Congress h asked US Department of Defense to submit a detailed document "regarding disposition of United States property, equipment and supplies provided to Afghan forces that were destroyed, taken out of or remain in Afghanistan," according to report.

Credit: Associated Press 

Moreover, a Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report revealed that US-backed Afghan military possessed more than 150 aircraft which may have been captured by  Taliban. National security viser Jake Sullivan h also acknowledged fact at presser later, stating that US does not have a "complete picture, obviously, of where every article of defence materials has gone, but certainly, a fair amount of it has fallen into hands of Taliban." US military aircraft comprised four C-130 transport aircraft, 23 Brazilian me A-29 "Super Tucano" turboprop ground-attack aircraft, 45 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and 50 smaller MD-530 choppers. Footages h also emerged indicating Taliban struggling to fly  Black Hawk helicopter at an abandoned US airfield. 

US military formerly deployed in Afghanistan has mitted to leaving behind fighter aircrafts worth $923.3 million. It revealed procuring 78 aircraft stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for former government of Afghanistan, which h later collapsed. army claimed that it h demilitarized se combat jets that were rendered inoperational. Separately, 9,524 air-to-ground munitions, worth $6.54 million were also left during disorderly evacuations.

"remaining aircraft munitions stock are non-precision munitions," said US DoD. US also left 96,000 military vehicles, including 12,000 military Humvees, at time of exiting Kabul. " operational condition of remaining vehicles" in Afghanistan is "unknown,"  US military said, not mentioning that it was non-functional. At least 300,000 of total 427,300 weapons that were purchased for Afghan forces were also left in Afghanistan, location of most of that weaponry is “unknown.” 1,537,000 "speciality munitions" and "common small arms ammunition” worth $48 million is also missing. 

Taliban fighters patrol through Kabul, Afghanistan. Pictures of such fighters posing with captured aircraft, weapons and vehicles have been shown on social media. Credit: Rahmat Gul/AP

report exposed that “all of communications equipment” including base station, mobile, man-portable and hand-held commercial and military rio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices were left in Afghanistan following US forces' withdrawal. re are also 42,000 night vision, surveillance, "biometric and positioning equipment" that are unaccounted for. Among or weaponry that has fallen in hands of terrorists includes explosive ordinance disposal, demining equipment, 17,500 "pieces of explosive detection, electronic countermeasure, disposal and personal protective equipment” according to report.

While it remains unclear how much of weaponry US military could evacuate out of war-torn region, it recently announced that five Mi-17 helicopters that h been in Afghanistan would be sent to Ukraine. DoD revealed that y planned to transfer helicopters to Ukraine in January 2022 but decision was delayed until later.