Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? As the Taliban came into power throughout Afghanistan, it seized U.S. military hardware that had previously belonged to Afghan forces, valued at millions or even billions of dollars.
Images from the terrorist group’s defeats depict tired but happy militants in charge of weapons, armored vehicles, and even Black Hawk helicopters and drones built in the United States. Experts are worried that the terrorist organization would now own classy technology in addition to flashy weapons. Including biometric devices used by the American military to identify Afghans who aid Americans and allies.
It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a team that was previously mocked as a bunch of rural Luddites when it first appeared in the 1990s. But the Taliban has demonstrated adaptability when it comes to technology, despite its strict interpretations of Islam and rejection of most of the contemporary culture. Both the Internet and social media have seen activity from it. And its soldiers are accustomed to using American military hardware.
According to Robert Crews, a Stanford University researcher on Afghanistan, “the Taliban have already started deploying advanced military equipment that they have stolen from Afghan state security forces in recent years”. “They have utilized everything from sniper rifles, armored vehicles, and artillery to night-vision goggles and scopes”.
The Taliban is bragging about stolen American weaponry that might be worth billions. Can it utilize them?
Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? The Taliban has fought for decades with crude weaponry and lived in constant terror of the American air force and technological strength. At the very least counts the seizure of American technology as a symbolic victory. However, authorities assert that the captures also have useful complications.
Ibraheem Bahiss, an expert on the Taliban and a consultant for the International Crisis Group, stated that the group “knows the value of extremely modern weaponry” and pointed out that the organization had used a limited air force during its initial rule in Kabul in the 1990s.
Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? According to Bahiss, Mohammad Yaqoob, the chairman of the Taliban military committee and the son of the organization’s founder Mohammad Omar, has openly urged the shadow leadership to defend airports. He claimed that they already understood how crucial it was to protect the airports as a military resource.
The most effective technology for the Taliban might be quite low-tech and not often American-made. For instance, the team has already demonstrated its capacity to operate Soviet-era D-30 howitzer weaponry.
The majority of American aircraft are technologically complicated, and according to Joseph Dempsey, a research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the Taliban would likely find it difficult to maintain or even fly them. That being said, he added, “do not be shocked if we still see certain U.S.-supplied kinds flying with new flags.”
A $22 billion collection
Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? According to the office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, the U.S. equipment is a relic of a vast $83 billion operation to bolster Afghan security forces. According to a SIGAR report to Congress issued this month, the US gave the Afghan military at least $18 billion between 2005 and this year for “equipment and transportation”, as well as numerous additional billions for maintenance and training.
According to the research, the Afghan air force possessed more than 40 operable MD-530 helicopters and more than 30 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters before it was taken over by the Taliban. Additionally, there were around 23 operational A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft, some of which were modified to drop laser-guided bombs.
Can they utilize it?
Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? Taliban leadership had little interest in the conveniences of contemporary living from the beginning of their rule in the 1990s. The group attempted to operate a government using walkie-talkies and paper notes while outlawing television sets, cassette players, and cameras.
But when it could, the organization used military hardware. According to historical records, it ran a small air force in the 1990s that was primarily composed of Russian-made aircraft, including about 20 MiG-21 fighter fighters. The fragments of the once-powerful fleet that King Amanullah founded in 1919 made up the so-called “Taliban Air Force”, which heavily relied on the pilots and technicians who came under Taliban authority.
The organization would definitely expand on this experience, according to Bahiss. It was “extremely unlikely” that they would try to sell these weapons for money, he continued. To increase their military capabilities in order to counter any future resistance, I believe they are more likely to try to keep them.
Although third-party nations would be interested in American precision-guided munitions, Dempsey stated that the United States has been “mindful about what capabilities and technology it has provided to Afghanistan air force.” This may limit the interest of buyers.
The Taliban has previously demonstrated that it is prepared and eager to employ technology and small weaponry developed in the United States. To discover possible threats that are concealed, non-weaponry technologies such as the Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, U.S. devices that contain biometric data, may be deployed. The Intercept was informed by U.S. authorities that the Taliban might have obtained the devices.
Final Thoughts
Here at Themacforums, according to Brookings Institution analyst Madiha Afzal, if the Afghan Taliban were to transfer their military expertise to local rebels like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, “that means disaster for Pakistan.”
The Taliban might experience the same difficulties as the Afghan military forces: Without costly support, which is frequently given by foreign contractors, much of the most sophisticated American equipment will be left in limbo.
Did the Taliban Take US Military Equipment? The use of technology by the Afghan military forces will not be imitated quickly, according to Bahiss.
Their performance was not particularly impressive.
