28th April, 2022
US forces left behind military equipment worth more than $7 billion in Afghanistan last August, the Pentagon has reportedly revealed to Congress.
Washington gave Afghan government forces $18.6 billion worth of weaponry from 2005 to 2021, and $7.1 billion of that gear remained in the war-torn country after the US withdrawal on August 30, CNN cited the Pentagon as saying on Wednesday.
Some of the abandoned equipment, including 78 aircraft that were left at Kabul airport, was permanently disabled before US forces withdrew, the Pentagon report showed.
More than $920 million worth of US aircraft remained in Afghanistan after Washington’s exit, as did 40,000 military vehicles.
Also left behind were communications gear, more than 300,000 weapons and almost all of the 42,000 pieces of specialized equipment that had been given to Afghan government forces.
Those pieces included radio systems, encryption devices, transmitters, night vision goggles, surveillance gear and “biometric and positioning equipment,” the Pentagon said.
Most of the 9,524 air-to-ground munitions that were left behind were non-precision explosives.
Ukraine was the beneficiary of some equipment that had originally been earmarked for Afghanistan.
The report showed that five Mi-17 helicopters were officially transferred to Ukraine this year after previously being sent to the former Soviet republic for maintenance work.
Other equipment shifted to Ukraine included 37,000 howitzer shells, as well as rifle ammunition, grenade cartridges and 119,000 82mm mortar rounds.