MoD demands US and NATO hand over military equipment during withdrawal

The Afghan government is set to formally demand US and NATO hand over their military equipment during the withdrawal process, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

But US-led Resolute Support Mission has not yet said whether it will hand over military equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) or not.

However, the Afghan government, the United States and NATO have set up a joint commission to oversee the transfer and withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

According to the US government and NATO alliance, the mission of support in Afghanistan is to end on September 11 by which time all foreign forces will be out of the country.

The Afghan army is meanwhile waiting for the foreign troops to hand over their remaining military bases and equipment to the ANDSF, something the Afghan government may formally demand from the United States and NATO, a Ministry of Defense spokesman said.

“Absolutely, we need this military equipment and we want the United States to hand it over to us,” said Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the MoD.

However, military analysts said the United States destroyed a lot of its equipment in 2014 and what’s left will be shipped home.

Some experts said that their weapons and military tanks are equipped with sensitive technology which the US military will not want to leave behind.

“Foreigners will not provide the military equipment to Afghans to protect themselves. This equipment is very advanced,” said Assadullah Nadim, a military expert.

Five months ago, the Afghan Senate said that when US troops leave Afghanistan, they destroy their military bases and destroy their equipment or move it to Pakistan. The house at the time called for government action, but government has not yet responded.

“Handing over equipment to Pakistan means the US is launching a war through the Taliban,” said Sarwar Niyazi, another military expert.

A source meanwhile said the Afghan government has set up a joint commission with Resolute Support to support the transfer of military equipment and bases of foreign forces securely to the Afghan forces – a commission headed by Hamdullah Moheb, National Security Advisor.