Taliban Seize U.S. Weapons in Afghanistan, Stockpiling Helicopters, Guns and Trucks

[mahatmakanejeeves]

NATIONAL SECURITY

Taliban Seize U.S. Weapons in Afghanistan, Stockpiling Helicopters, Guns and Trucks

After collapse of Afghanistan’s U.S.-supported military, grenade launchers, missiles and aircraft are now wielded by militants

By Brett Forrest
https://twitter.com/brett_forrest
[e-mail]
Aug. 20, 2021 10:48 am ET

Afghanistan’s military has laid down its weapons, and the Taliban have wasted little time in collecting them, raising concerns about how easily troves of U.S.-made arms, military aircraft and armored vehicles have fallen into enemy hands and the new capabilities they bring.

Scores of videos have emerged of Taliban fighters rejoicing near abandoned American helicopters, carrying U.S.-supplied M24 sniper rifles and M18 assault weapons, stacking other small arms and materiel in unending piles and driving Humvees and other U.S.-made military trucks.

The Taliban have seized airplanes, tanks and artillery from Afghan outposts and from evacuating U.S. personnel, revealing one of the heavier costs of a U.S. troop withdrawal amid a collapse of Afghanistan’s government and army.

“We obviously don’t want to see our equipment in the hands of those who would act against our interests, or the interests of the Afghan people,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing this week.

The U.S. sent nearly 600,000 small arms, 76,000 vehicles and 208 airplanes to Afghanistan’s military and police from 2003 to 2016, according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report, one of the few such compilations. The most recent quarterly report of the U.S.-led military coalition documented deliveries of 174 Humvees, nearly three million rounds of ammunition, and nearly 100,000 2.75-inch rockets during the period.

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[msongs]

1. after the evacuation is done cruise missles can take care of some of that if that's the

the choice biden makes

[magicarpet]

2. You would think all American guns, supplies, and military equipment/hardware could be remotely,...

.... disabled or detonated to total destruction if the material/equipment should fall onto enemy hands or otherwise be used against our soldiers/allies.

A kill switch - if you will, to render the stuff useless to them now.

[Lovie777]

3. My understanding is that Taliban do not have . . .

codes and other means to work the crucial weapons.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. The Taliban is flaunting captured U.S. weapons that may be worth billions. Can it use them?

Even if the Taliban can't use them, they can find someone who can.

Asia

The Taliban is flaunting captured U.S. weapons that may be worth billions. Can it use them?

By Adam Taylor
Today at 3:08 p.m. EDT

As the Taliban swept into power across Afghanistan, it captured many millions, perhaps billions, of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment that had once belonged to Afghan forces.

Footage from areas captured by the militant group shows bedraggled but celebratory fighters in control of U.S.-made guns, armored vehicles and even Blackhawk helicopters and drones. Beyond the flashy hardware, experts are also concerned that the extremist group would now be in charge of sophisticated technology, including biometric devices used by the U.S. military to identify Afghans who assisted Americans and allies.

It’s an impressive haul for a group that was once dismissed as a band of rural Luddites when it emerged in the 1990s. But despite its austere interpretations of Islam and rejection of much of modern society, the Taliban has shown flexibility when it comes to technology. It is already active on the Internet and social media. And its fighters are no strangers to U.S. military equipment.

{snip}

Open source analysts Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans have tracked videos and images released by forces loyal to the insurgents and recorded over 30 pieces of equipment that now belongs to what they dubbed the “Taliban Air Force,” ranging from at least one A-29 Super Tucano to seven Insitu ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicles — drones — made by Boeing.

Four Blackhawk helicopters, if not more, appeared to be in Taliban control. At a cost of $10 million each, it represents an expensive catch.

{snip}

By Adam Taylor
Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and Columbia University. Twitter https://twitter.com/mradamtaylor

[jpak]

5. Without spare parts, these weapons will become useless on short order

Yup

[70sEraVet]

6. Seems like we would have a right to do some air strikes to take out the most formidable weapons

The weapons were for the Afghan government, and the Taliban are not recognized as the legitimate leaders of the government.