Kabul. Before the US military left Afghanistan, the Taliban had seized millions of dollars worth of planes, helicopters, and fighter jets, which the fighters now control under the control of former Afghan Air Force pilots.
The Taliban have recently taken control of ten major airports in the country. The Taliban seized control of the airport from Bagram to Mazar-i-Sharif and seized a Black Hawk helicopter and some fighter jets. The planes are now being used to suppress anti-Taliban activity in the Panjshir Valley.
Despite taking control of most of Afghanistan, the Taliban have not been able to enter the Panjshir Valley. The Taliban leader has instructed his fighters to take control of Afghan Air Force pilots trained in aviation in countries including the United States. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Similarly, in another video, Black Hawk was seen flying in the sky of Panjshir Valley. Experts say it is not possible for Taliban fighters to make such commercial flights.
They have chosen commercial pilots because it is impossible to fly state-of-the-art aircraft captured by the Taliban without trained pilots. Enthusiastic after the US withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban took control of the Hamid Karzai airport on Tuesday and were seen posing in the cockpit of a Hercules jet worth one 14 million.
According to a US government investigation in June, the Afghan Air Force operated 167 jets and 108 helicopters. Before leaving Kabul, 46 Afghan jets, including 24 helicopters, flew over Uzbekistan to escape Taliban control. As the Afghan Air Force is grounded, its pilots have been vacant for a long time.
The U.S. military says 73 planes, 100 vehicles, and other equipment were abandoned before leaving Kabul. Among them, the aircraft and equipment were damaged and left. The commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General Frank McKenzie, said the United States had returned from Kabul before 73 planes were grounded. Numerous gunshots were recovered from the planes and helicopters.
The Taliban is believed to be able to bring the plane back into operation, even if it is said to have been abandoned by the United States. Similarly, most of the equipment and aircraft seized by the Taliban were built in the 1980s and need to be serviced continuously.
Afghanistan’s air force appears to be larger than the NATO 10-nation air force if it can operate those aircraft abandoned and taken over by the United States. The United States has the largest number of 13,000 aircraft under NATO. France and Turkey have 1,057 and 1,056, respectively.
Add Comment