‘US leaving behind Rs14.16 trillion military equipment in Afghanistan’

ISLAMABAD: Donald Trump Jr, son of former US president Donald Trump, has said that $85 billion (Rs14.16 trillion) worth of military equipment is being left in Afghanistan to the Taliban

In a Tweet, he also took a jibe at Democrats and said that each and every man, woman, and child in America has contributed about $265 (Rs44,146) to their cause. Trump Jr mentioned that the US is leaving behind 22,174 humvees, 8,000 trucks, 634 MIII7, 162,043 radios, 155 MxxPro mine-proof vehicles, 16,035 night vision goggles/devices, 169 armoured personnel carriers, 358,530 assault rifles, 42,000 trucks and SUVs, 126,295 pistols, 64,363 machine guns, 176 artillery pieces, 33 Mi-17 and as many UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, four C-130 transporters, 23 Embraer EMB 314/A29 Super Tucano, 43 MD530 choppers, 28 Cessna 208, and 10 Cessna AC-208 planes.

According to a media report, as a landlocked country, Afghanistan makes moving military materiel back to the US neither an easy nor an economical endeavour. Much was removed anyway, and much handed over to Afghan government forces. What couldn’t be taken back, was left. Blowing up in situ large quantities of war materiel is cheaper than shipping it out of Afghanistan.

According to a top Pentagon logistics specialist, there is no clear record of the quantity and quality of military equipment left behind. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that the Taliban probably would not give such materiel back to the US at the airport.