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GLOATING Taliban fighters might have stolen as many as half one million US weapons and as much as 50,000 automobiles as they flaunt their army stash.
They seized tons of of military bases, weapons dumps and police stations throughout their advance to Kabul final month.
The US spent an estimated $85billion (£62billion) on weapons and gear to arm the Afghan military as they propped up the federal government after toppling the Taliban in 2001.
US paperwork reveal staggering numbers of weapons, automobiles and army gear had been handed over to Kabul – just for the Afghan forces to be washed away in opposition to the tide of Taliban advance.
Estimates state 22,174 Humvees, 634 M1117s armoured automobiles, 115 Maxx Execs vehicles, and 549,118 machine weapons, assault rifles and pistols got over by the US.
Some 33 Black Hawk helicopters, 23 Tremendous Tucano fighter planes and 4 C-130 transport planes had been additionally given to the Afghan Air Drive.
Different help gear was additionally given over, with some 16,035 pairs of evening imaginative and prescient googles, 162,043 radios and a few 8,000 vehicles.
A lot of this gear might have been eliminated by the US, might have been out of service, and will have been destroyed.
For instance its estimated solely 48 of the over 100 plane within the air pressure that had been usable had been left behind to the Taliban.
However the numbers provides an perception into the staggering scale of Afghanistan’s arsenal – the remnants of which will likely be picked clear by the militants.
Photos and video from all through their vicious advance throughout the nation present the fighters gleefully stumbling upon weapons caches and automobiles which they will then use.
Propaganda images launched by the Taliban already present them posing in US army gear – abandoning their easy robes and AK-47s in favour of M-16s and fight physique armour.
In a single video clip, a fighter can not imagine his eyes when he enters a delivery container stuffed with M16 assault rifles and pump-action shotguns.
The US stated it destroyed 73 plane, 70 mine-resistant armoured automobiles, 27 Humvees and a C-RAM missile defence system earlier than they left Kabul airport on Sunday.
One helicopter displaying a Taliban flag was seen hovering over crowds at Kandahar yesterday.
Some estimates of the quantity of army gear within the palms of the Taliban put it as round £13billion – however figures stay unclear.
It’s believed the Taliban might now be higher armed than some nations.
US commanders eliminated planes, heavy armour and excessive tech gear – however untold numbers of different gear which had been given to the Afghan military was left behind.
And it’s feared a few of the weapons may fall into the palms of splinter terrorist teams – comparable to ISIS – and even Russia and China.
Elias Yousif, deputy director of the Heart for Worldwide Coverage’s Safety Help Monitor, informed The Hill: “When an armed group will get their palms on American-made weaponry, it is type of a standing image. It is a psychological win.
“Clearly, that is an indictment of the U.S. safety cooperation enterprise broadly.
“It actually ought to increase lots of issues about what’s the wider enterprise that is occurring each single day, whether or not that is within the Center East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia.”
US and different Western forces have now formally withdrawn from the nation after a muddled exit which was in comparison with the tip of the Vietnam Battle.
Nevertheless, resistance fighters are persevering with the collect within the Panjshir Valley as they proceed to disclaim the Taliban’s rule.
US President Joe Biden is going through heavy criticism over the pullout which is believed to go away thousands and thousands of Afghans to their destiny at their palms of the ruthless new regime.
When the Taliban final dominated Afghanistan they imposed medieval-style legal guidelines with vicious executions, torture and brutal punishments.
And girls are believed to face the brunt of this new regime, with them already being erased from a lot of public life by the Taliban.
International secretary Dominic Raab in the present day stated that Britain won’t be recognising the Taliban as Afghanistan’s authorities “for the foreseeable future”.
He stated the Western world wanted to “regulate to the brand new actuality” that the brutal insurgents have captured the nation and at the moment are in cost.
The Cupboard Minister informed reporters: “We won’t be recognising the Taliban anytime within the foreseeable future.
“However I feel there is a crucial scope for engagement and dialogue.”
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