Taliban Celebrates US Troops Withdrawal in Afghanistan; Parade Shows Plundered Military Equipment

(Photo : AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT
TOPSHOT - People wave Taliban flags and shout slogans during a rally in Chaman, a town at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, on August 31, 2021, after the US pulled all its troops out of Afghanistan to end a brutal 20-year war -- one that started and ended with the hardline Islamist in power. (Photo by - / AFP)

In the haste to get out of Kabul Airport safely, the US military undoubtedly abandoned tens of millions of dollars worth of planes, armored vehicles, and advanced military equipment.

The US military has admitted that equipment left behind by Afghan security forces may be helpful to the Taliban but has stated that such assets would not pose a security risk to the US or its allies.

Some of the equipment had been "demilitarized" or rendered unusable, according to US Central Command commander Marine General Kenneth McKenzie. A defense department official who was not authorized to comment publicly said troops most likely used thermite grenades to destroy crucial components of the device, which burn at temperatures of 4,000 degrees Celsius.

Taliban hails US troops withdrawal

Before the actual Taliban takeover, it's unclear how many planes, vehicles, or other forms of equipment were abandoned, damaged, destroyed, or otherwise removed from the nation by either US or Afghan forces.

Per NDTV, after seizing control of Afghanistan last month following a deadly conflict, Islamist hardliners hailed the US pullout, which was concluded on Monday, as a huge success. An AFP correspondent observed a lengthy line of green Humvees idling in single file on a highway near Kandahar, the spiritual cradle of the terrorist organization, several with white-and-black Taliban flags affixed to aerials.

The Taliban held a 'Victory Parade' with U.S. military equipment, and in full U.S. military uniform.

Joe Biden’s incompetence knows no bounds. pic.twitter.com/hsXqgKThii
— Errol Webber (@ErrolWebber) September 1, 2021

A helicopter soared overhead, dragging the Taliban's banner underneath it while fighters wearing headscarves waved beneath it, according to footage released on a pro-Taliban account of the parade's build-up. In recent days, at least one Black Hawk helicopter has been observed flying above Kandahar, implying that it was piloted by someone from the previous Afghan army, as the Taliban lack competent pilots.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of an impending "humanitarian disaster," highlighting the Taliban's tremendous hurdles as they transition from guerrilla organization to governmental force. Despite this, US President Joe Biden remained defiant.

According to the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, the US government spent $83 billion to train and equip the Afghan army. The Pentagon and the White House claimed that the Afghan army had 300,000 men although there were much fewer in fact.

Many Afghan forces quit fighting for a corrupt, incompetent government in the weeks and months leading up to the Taliban takeover, fearing the removal of US backing, as per The South China Morning Post.

Trump chastises Biden for US military equipment abandonment

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday for abandoning the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan due to its proximity to China, as well as for leaving US military equipment behind for the Taliban to capture during the chaotic evacuation.

The Taliban invaded Kabul's airport only minutes after the last US forces left late Tuesday, posting footage of themselves checking the several Chinook helicopters, vehicles, and weaponry left behind following the huge evacuations. Trump also claimed that Biden should have retained the huge Bagram Airfield, as he and his senior advisers intended, NY Post reported.

Last month, the United States left Bagram Airport, Afghanistan's largest airfield, after 20 years. After departing Bagram, the US turned Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport into an American-controlled island in the final two weeks as evacuations increased.

Biden is scheduled to speak to the country later Tuesday, about 24 hours after the last American troops left Afghanistan. The president has been chastised for the disorderly withdrawal, which, contrary to his stated promises, left US people wanting to depart behind.