The United States Department of Defence has announced that the military planes and helicopters of the former Afghan army would not be returned to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
More than 100 US trained Afghan air force pilots had flown out of the country with their families to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan aboard more than 60 aircraft, including A-29 light attack planes and Black Hawk helicopters, just days before the Taliban took over Kabul on August 15.
The Taliban regime has asked Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return these aircraft, claiming that they belong to Afghanistan. But the US has made it clear that they will not be returned.
“I think it's safe to assume that they will not be sent into Afghanistan to be used by the Taliban. But as to what they end up doing and where they end up going and who ends up with them, we are still working our way through that decision-making process,” said John F. Kirby, the Pentagon Press Secretary on Monday.
He further added that discussions are ongoing about the fate of these military planes and choppers which were donated by the US to the Afghan government. These planes are part of the US weaponry worth around $85 billion left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops last year.
There is speculation that these planes will be part of the new US base in the region for which all possibilities are being explored.
Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing
Last week, the Taliban had warnedTajikistan and Uzbekistan to immediately return Afghan planes and choppers, which were flown away by the defence personnel of the ousted Ghani government to the two neighbouring countries.
“We may relatively be weaker than those of our neighbour country but we are not cowardly and will take into account every single spare part of our planes and helicopters. I ask them respectfully to return our planes and helicopters and not question our patience any further and not to force us to take all possible retaliatory steps,” warned Mullah Yaqoob, the Defence Minister of the Taliban regime.
More than 40 percent of the Afghan Air Force's aircraft were flown out. Before the fall of the government in August, Afghanistan had more than 164 active aircraft, and only 70 were left behind. The Taliban have no trained pilots and skilled engineers to handle these planes. According to a report about 50 aircraft were rendered unusable at the Kabul International Airport prior to the final US departure.
Also Read : Don’t test our Patience–Taliban warns Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return their planes immediately
