US Military Hardware Worth Over $7 Billion Was Taken By The Taliban

The United States gave the former Afghan government more than $7 billion in military hardware, much of which ended up in the hands of the Islamic Emirate following the withdrawal of US forces and the rapid collapse of the nation

When the Islamic Emirate took over Kabul on August 15, 2021, the majority of the money spent, US Defence Department’s inspector general, went into tactical ground vehicles like MRAPs and Humvees, which cost roughly $4.12 billion.

The report stated that when the old Afghan government fell, “the DoD assessed that US-funded equipment valued at $7.12 billion was in the inventory of that government at that time, much of which has since been taken by the Taliban.” This includes weapons, armour, and other military hardware as well as aeroplanes and vehicles on the ground.

The report also stated that at the time of its collapse, the Afghan military was in charge of 316,260 small weaponry, including rifles, sniper rifles, handguns, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and howitzers, valued at $511.8 million

When the Taliban gained control of Kabul, the government’s inventory also included communications, explosive detection, night-vision, and other monitoring tools.

The study went on to explain that “the status of these items was unknown, and the long-term operability of the vehicles was likely to deteriorate without US contractor maintenance.” Throughout the 2021 drawdown phase, the US military removed or destroyed practically all of the significant equipment utilised by US forces in Afghanistan.

A total of $84 billion in security aid was provided to Afghan troops by the Defense Department between 2005 and 2021, of which $18.6 billion was used to purchase weaponry for the Afghan National Army, Afghan Air Force, Afghan National Police, and Afghan Special Security Forces.

The US spent $612 million on 427,300 weapons during those 16 years, including 258,300 rifles, 6,300 sniper rifles, 64,300 handguns, 56,155 machine guns, 31,000 rocket propelled grenade launchers, and 224 howitzers Republican criticism of President Biden’s handling of the troop withdrawal on its anniversary coincides with the release of the inspector general’s report.