Joe Biden’s Luxury Gifts for Taliban Fighters: US Weapons Flow to Militants
The Biden administration’s admission of US defense materials falling into the hands of the Taliban has raised concerns. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan acknowledged during a press conference that a significant amount of defense materials has ended up with the Taliban. Photos published by news agencies and shared on social media show Taliban fighters proudly displaying captured American weapons such as M4 and M16 rifles, night vision goggles, and military vehicles like Humvees and MRAPs.
The exact extent of the weapons transferred to the Taliban remains uncertain. However, previous reports from US government watchdogs indicate that the militant group may have inherited a vast arsenal of American weapons from fleeing Afghan security forces. Between fiscal years 2003 and 2016, the US military transferred approximately 75,898 vehicles, 599,690 weapons systems, and 208 aircraft to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office report. Recent analysis by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction revealed that the Defense Department provided over 7,000 machine guns, more than 4,700 Humvees, and more than 20,000 grenades to the ANDSF in recent years.
August 21, 2021 | 12:18 pm
