The Taliban has declared U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan as “spoils of war,” challenging President Donald Trump’s vow to reclaim these assets.
At a Glance
- Taliban claims $7 billion worth of U.S. military equipment as “spoils of war”
- President Trump pledges to retrieve arms, criticizes Biden administration
- Taliban spokesperson threatens to use weapons against any recovery attempts
- Experts deem retrieval of equipment logistically challenging and unlikely
- Taliban expresses openness to improved relations with U.S. under potential Trump presidency
Taliban’s Bold Claim
In a provocative statement, the Taliban has asserted ownership over billions of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment left behind during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Ha!
This declaration directly challenges President Donald Trump’s recent pledge to recover these American assets if he returns to office.
Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid made the regime’s position clear, stating, “The weapons that America abandoned in Afghanistan, as well as those provided to the former Afghan regime, are now in the possession of the Mujahideen [or Taliban forces] as spoils of war.”
President Trump has been vocal about his intention to reclaim the military hardware if re-elected. He suggested leveraging financial aid as a bargaining chip, stating, “If we’re going to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we’re not going to give them the money unless they give back our military equipment.”
However, the Taliban has rebuffed this proposal, with Mujahid asserting their readiness to defend against any attempts to seize the equipment.
“The Afghan people now own these weapons and are utilizing them to defend their independence, sovereignty, and Islamic system. No external force can compel us to surrender these weapons, nor will we accept any demands for their surrender. We will use these weapons to repel invaders who dare to seize them,” Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Experts have weighed in on the feasibility of retrieving the equipment, with many suggesting that such an operation would be logistically challenging and unlikely to succeed. The geographical and political obstacles present significant hurdles to any potential recovery mission.
“To return it, just logistically, he will need to send a team to analyze and verify the equipment that is being discussed. His team will have to secure either some degree of overflight landing and agreements. This will always remain a critical issue, as it has been during the peak of the US involvement in Afghanistan – how you get equipment in and out of Afghanistan,” Randall said.
Some experts also argue that the cost of retrieving certain equipment might outweigh its value.
But Trump is a man of principle, and he has already indicated that he intends to go in and get it – so we should probably count on that happening some time soon.