Footage published by Afghanistan’s NRF in Panjshir Valley shows that the Taliban is shipping many M4 Carbines and armored vehicles to Pakistan – the possible shipping destination of these weapons is Kashmir.
The Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) backed terrorist organization, is based in the Indian state of Kashmir was responsible for numerous attacks on the Indian troops and connected to Mumbai terrorist attacks. The United States and its allies listed Lashkar-e-Tayyiba as a terrorist organization.
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 Black Hawk 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.
The Biden administration has suspended all arms sales to Afghanistan. A decision in this regard was taken three days after the Taliban took control of the country.
In a notice to defence contractors, the U.S. State Department’s Political/Military Affairs Bureau said pending or undelivered arms transfers to Afghanistan have been put under review for the time being.
“In light of rapidly evolving circumstances in Afghanistan, the Directorate of Defense Sales Controls is reviewing all pending and issued export licenses and other approvals to determine their suitability in furthering world peace, national security and the foreign policy of the United States,” the notice said.
The notice went on to add that the U.S. State Department will issue updates for defense equipment exporters in the coming days.
Multiple reports have confirmed that the Taliban managed to seize billions in U.S. weaponry during the collapse of the Ashraf Ghani administration. This equipment includes Black Hawk helicopters, A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft and mine-resistant humvees in addition to US-made M4 carbines and M16 rifles.
“The Taliban know the value of highly sophisticated weaponry,” said Ibraheem Bahiss, a consultant for the International Crisis Group and an expert on the Taliban, noting that the group had operated a limited air force during its first reign in Kabul in the 1990s.
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 has been active on the Internet and social media. And its fighters are no strangers to U.S. military equipment.
The U.S. equipment is a remnant of a massive project to strengthen Afghan security forces that cost $83 billion, according to the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, known as SIGAR.
Between 2005 and this year, the United States disbursed at least $18 billion to the Afghan military for “equipment and transportation,” according to a SIGAR report to Congress released last month, as well as many billions more in training and maintenance.
© 2021, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Be the first to comment