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US left behind $7 billion of military gear after troops withdrew: Pentagon

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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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UN official warns Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis could threaten regional stability and security

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A senior United Nations official has warned that Afghanistan’s deepening humanitarian crisis could have consequences beyond the country’s borders, potentially affecting regional security, stability and migration routes.

Bruno Lemarquis, the UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said on Friday that the country was at a “difficult crossroad” more than five years after the Islamic Emirate returned to power.

He said relative stability and security were being undermined by a fragile economy, restrictions on fundamental rights and growing humanitarian needs.

Lemarquis described restrictions on women and girls as “severe and sweeping,” saying they continue to face barriers to education, employment and participation in public life.

He noted that more than 2.6 million girls have been deprived of secondary education since 2021, while female university enrollment currently stands at zero.

The UN official also highlighted the impact of the mass return of Afghan migrants, saying approximately 6.7 million Afghans have returned to the country since 2020, many of them forcibly expelled from neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran.

He said the large-scale returns were placing additional pressure on Afghanistan’s already overstretched public services, stressing that returnees urgently need legal documentation, protection and employment opportunities.

Lemarquis also raised concerns over a reported increase in opium poppy cultivation, citing a UN report that found production had risen by 330 percent in 2025 following a sharp decline after the 2022 ban imposed by the Islamic Emirate.

He said efforts to prevent poppy cultivation must be accompanied by viable alternative livelihoods for farmers.

Meanwhile, humanitarian needs in Afghanistan are expected to rise further in 2027 amid mass returns, regional instability and extreme weather risks associated with El Niño.

However, international humanitarian funding has continued to decline. According to Lemarquis, assistance reached $2 billion in 2023, fell to $1 billion in 2025 and has amounted to only $570 million so far in 2026.

He warned that funding shortages were threatening essential services, with around 40 percent of primary healthcare facilities expected to close between 2025 and 2026, potentially affecting 700 of the country’s 1,900 health posts.

Describing the consequences as “very, very, very significant,” Lemarquis urged the international community not to turn its back on Afghanistan.

“And there is a saying in Afghanistan that is ‘What is happening in Afghanistan is not staying in Afghanistan,’” he said.

“The consequences could go beyond the Afghanistan border, potentially affecting regional security, regional stability and migration pathways.”

 
 

 

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Pakistan reviews US plan to deport Afghans through its territory

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Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says it is reviewing reports that the Trump administration plans to deport Afghans through Pakistan, adding that it is consulting relevant stakeholders to find a mutually acceptable way forward.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan made the remarks at a press conference on Friday, saying Islamabad remained committed to close coordination with its allies and partners.

“We will continue to act in accordance with our international obligations and established protocols,” Khan said.

He added that the matter was under consideration and that all relevant aspects were being carefully examined in consultation with concerned stakeholders.

 

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Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah exits Afghanistan after 20 years

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Pakistan-based Bank Alfalah has completed its exit from Afghanistan after 20 years of operations, transferring its local banking business to Ghaznfar Bank, the lender said in a notice to shareholders on Friday.

The bank said the transaction was completed on November 5 after the signing of final agreements, approval from the State Bank of Pakistan and Da Afghanistan Bank, and fulfilment of other required conditions.

The deal allows Bank Alfalah to sell and transfer its operations in Afghanistan to Ghaznfar Bank, following approval from the regulatory authorities in both countries.

“Bank Alfalah has acco­rdingly ceased its banking operations in Afghanistan and will complete the closure of its Afghanistan bra­nches in accordance with applicable regulatory req­u­ir­ements,” the notice said.

Bank Alfalah began operating in Kabul in 2005, offering both conventional and Islamic banking services. 

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