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US left behind $7 billion of military gear after troops withdrew: Pentagon
A new Pentagon report has revealed that the US left $7 billion of military gear – including 78 aircraft, 12,000 Humvees and thousands of air-to-ground weapons – in Afghanistan after President Joe Biden’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal.
The US handed the equipment to the previous Afghan government over the course of 16 years, CNN reported.
According to the report, seen by CNN, the US Defense Department has no plans to return to Afghanistan to “retrieve or destroy” the equipment.
The US gave a total of $18.6 billion of equipment to the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to August 2021, according to the report. Of that total, equipment worth $7.12 billion remained in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal was completed on August 30, 2021.
It included aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and other materials, according to the DoD report.
Quoting the report, which was submitted to Congress, CNN stated: “Much of the remaining equipment” left in Afghanistan requires “specialized maintenance that DoD contractors previously provided” to Afghan forces “in the form of technical knowledge and support.”
The Department of Defense was required to submit a report to Congress “regarding the disposition of United States property, equipment and supplies provided to” Afghan forces that “were destroyed, taken out of” or “remain in Afghanistan.”
The report also says that five Mi-17 helicopters that had been in Afghanistan were officially transferred to Ukraine in 2022, though they were already in Ukraine for maintenance before the US left Afghanistan. The Department of Defense notified Congress of its intent to transfer the helicopters in January 2022, before Russia’s invasion of the country had begun, and Ukraine signed a letter of acceptance on March 11, 2022.
“These five helicopters were in Ukraine undergoing overhaul maintenance when the Afghan government collapsed, and have remained there since,” the report states.
Other materials previously procured for Afghanistan by the US but not sent to the country, has been given to Ukraine, including about 37,000 122mm howitzer rounds, the report states.
The US has also transferred ammunition, grenade cartridges, and thousands of high-explosive mortar rounds to Ukraine from material that was previously procured for Afghanistan, the report states.
According to the report, aircraft worth $923.3 million remained in Afghanistan after withdrawal.
The US left 78 aircraft procured for the government of Afghanistan at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul before the end of the withdrawal. These aircraft were demilitarized and rendered inoperable before the US military left, the report states.
A total of 9,524 air-to-ground munitions, valued at $6.54 million, remained in Afghanistan at the conclusion of the US military withdrawal.
Over 40,000 of the total 96,000 military vehicles the US gave to Afghan forces remained in Afghanistan at the time of the US withdrawal, including 12,000 military Humvees, the report states.
“The operational condition of the remaining vehicles” in Afghanistan is “unknown,” the report states.
More than 300,000 of the total 427,300 weapons the US gave to Afghan forces remained in Afghanistan and “nearly all” of the communications equipment that the US gave to Afghan forces, including base-station, mobile, man-portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices also remained in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal, the report states.
“Nearly all” night vision, surveillance, “biometric and positioning equipment” totaling nearly 42,000 pieces of specialized equipment remained in the country, and “nearly all,” of the explosive ordinance disposal and demining equipment, including 17,500 “pieces of explosive detection, electronic countermeasure, disposal and personal protective equipment” also remained in Afghanistan, according to the report.
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IEA: Special circle in Pakistan has launched mission to destabilize region
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, says that a special circle in Pakistan has launched a mission to destabilize the region following the recent escalation of conflicts between the two countries.
Speaking at a press conference in Kandahar province on Friday, Mujahid urged regional countries to put a stop to the “troublemakers.”
Mujahid stated that Afghan air forces had precisely targeted Pakistani military centers.
In response to a question about what position the Islamic Emirate would take if regional countries called for a halt to the war, he said that the Islamic Emirate seeks a peaceful resolution of issues and that they have previously held several rounds of negotiations and discussed the matters; however, the Pakistani side has not been prepared to resolve the issues through peaceful dialogue.
The spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate emphasized that the Pakistani side consistently attempts to fabricate pretexts for war and links its internal issues to Afghanistan.
Mujahid further stated that Pakistani aircraft are still patrolling Afghanistan’s airspace.
Last night, following retaliatory attacks by Afghan forces on Pakistani military facilities across the Durand Line, Pakistan’s military regime carried out airstrikes on locations in three Afghan provinces.
Mujahid confirmed that Pakistani forces bombed certain areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
He added that during the fighting that began Friday night, 13 Afghan soldiers were “martyred” and 22 others were wounded.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan described the operation as retaliation for Pakistan’s previous attacks in Nangarhar and Paktika earlier this week.
The Afghan Ministry of National Defense also announced that in these clashes, Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, captured several others, and seized two military headquarters along with 19 security posts.
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Turkey launches initiative to diffuse Afghanistan-Pakistan tension
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday exchanged phone conversations with both Afghan and Pakistani top diplomats as well as other regional prominent actors amid growing tension between the two neighboring countries.
Fidan spoke on the phone with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammed Ishaq Dar, Turkish media reported citing sources.
The initiative came after the two countries attacked each other.
Turkish media reported that Fidan also spoke with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al Thani and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to discuss the recent developments between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Afghan Air Force conducts airstrikes in Islamabad, other cities
Afghan Air Force conducted airstrikes against Pakistani military targets in Islamabad and other cities on Friday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense said.
The strikes were carried out at 11:00a.m. near Faizabad in Islamabad, targeting a military camp, the Nowshera Cantt, Jamrud Military Colony, and Abottabad.
According to the Ministry, the operations successfully hit key military sites, centers, and facilities. The strikes were conducted in response to Pakistani military air raids carried out last night in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
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