Taliban flaunts U.S.-supplied military gear five years after Kabul's takeover
Five years after the U.S. exit, Taliban forces in Kabul are patrolling in American-made vehicles and wearing U.S. equipment, despite President Trump's calls for its return.
The final withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces in 2021 left the Taliban in control of billions of dollars’ worth of American-supplied military hardware. Five years later, the group continues to display that equipment, using armored vehicles and U.S.-issued weapons while patrolling Kabul. A Humvee still shows a faded Green Bay Packers logo, a relic of its former Afghan operators.
President Donald Trump has publicly accused the Biden administration of mishandling the exit and demanded the gear be returned, but Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi insists the assets now belong to Afghanistan and rejects any transaction. Pentagon figures released last year indicate much of the equipment was captured when the Afghan National Army collapsed. Critics argue the Taliban’s possession of this firepower has enabled a more robust state military, raising concerns about regional stability.
Why it matters
The continued use of U.S.-supplied arms by the Taliban highlights ongoing security and diplomatic challenges after the American withdrawal.
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