Taliban holds military parade showing off arsenal of military gear abandoned by U.S.
The Taliban reportedly held a parade recently showing off the recently-acquired United States military equipment left behind during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.
The Taliban’s parade took place in the Kandahar region of Afghanistan and featured U.S. armored Humvees and helicopters, according to Agence France-Presse.
The convoy, which was parading as a celebration of inaugurating the new “Islamic Emirate Army,” drove down Kandahar’s main road past onlookers as religious music was played from loudspeakers.
The American withdrawal from Afghanistan led to the disposal of billions of dollars worth of military equipment left for the Taliban’s keeping.
“Most of the American and Afghan military equipment at Kabul’s airport was destroyed by U.S. forces before they left Kabul,” Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported in September. “That’s not the case for the rest of Afghanistan. There are thousands of Humvees, aircraft and other critical pieces of military equipment left behind now in the hands of the Taliban.”
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in August, GOP lawmakers said they were “horrified” to see images of Taliban militants in possession of military equipment, including UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. They called on the Pentagon to provide detailed information on what equipment is still in the country.
“It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies,” the lawmakers said in the letter. “Securing U.S. assets should have been among the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Defense prior to announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”