Taliban patrols Kabul in equipment supplied to Afghan forces
In Kabul, Afghanistan, Taliban fighters are patrolling the city in armored vehicles previously supplied by the United States to Afghan forces, and are also using American tactical equipment and weapons. This was reported by CBS News ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, after which the United States began the war in Afghanistan.
After the withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops in 2021, the Taliban regained control of the country. CBS News journalists saw a Humvee in the Afghan capital with a faded Green Bay Packers club sticker left by the vehicle's previous users.
$7 billion in military property
According to Pentagon data released last year, equipment and weapons worth approximately $7 billion fell into Taliban hands after the collapse of the Afghan National Army. The group has displayed this arsenal, including during military parades on the streets of Kabul.
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U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden's administration over the troop withdrawal and demanded that the Taliban return the property. Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi told CBS News that the equipment belongs to the state of Afghanistan and that the Taliban does not intend to make deals concerning state assets.
Disputes over the troop withdrawal
The first Trump administration concluded the Doha Agreement with the Taliban, which provided for the withdrawal of U.S. forces by May 2021 provided certain conditions were met. In 2023, the White House under the Biden administration released a 12-page summary of a classified review of the withdrawal, which largely placed responsibility for the situation on the agreement reached by the Trump administration.
A partially declassified U.S. State Department report published the same year pointed to insufficient planning for the troop withdrawal by both administrations. According to CBS News, the Taliban is using the available weapons while imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic norms: women and girls in Afghanistan are almost completely deprived of opportunities to work and study.
