US President Joe Biden was slammed after the Office of the Inspector General at the Defense Department discovered and confirmed that the military equipment that President Biden left to the Taliban is worth billions.
In the analysis released by the DOD, the Taliban is currently in control of $7 billion worth of U.S. military assets abandoned and left by the Biden administration
The report came a year after the catastrophic exit of the US Military from the country.
“The DoD estimated that the U.S.-funded equipment valued at $7.12 billion was in the inventory of the former Afghan government when it collapsed, much of which has since been seized by the Taliban,” the department revealed.
The DOD also revealed that the assets left to the Talibans include “military aircraft, ground vehicles, weapons, and other military equipment.”
However, the “condition of these items was unknown, and the long-term operability of the vehicles was likely to deteriorate without U.S. contractor maintenance. The U.S. military removed or destroyed nearly all major equipment used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan throughout the drawdown period in 2021.”
Moreover, the department’s report also revealed that ISIS-K, which is currently the most active terrorist group has a stronghold in the country.
“ISIS-K was the most active terrorist group in Afghanistan this quarter, claiming 80 attacks—a 90 percent increase from the previous quarter—including some complex attacks, demonstrating the group’s capability to strike multiple targets in quick succession,” the office found.
“Most of these attacks targeted Afghanistan’s Shia Hazara and Sufi religious minorities, civilian infrastructure, and neighboring countries—targeting security forces in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Through these attacks, ISIS-K aims to undermine Taliban rule and attract new recruits,” the report added.
However, just in June, the Taliban claimed that its security forces had already killed at least eight key militants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) and captured three others.
Following the recent DOD report, Biden was slammed and the controversies revolving around the US withdrawal from Afghanistan resurfaced.
Biden was also blasted by critics after no disciplinary action for the catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan has been done while the Biden Administration continues to say it was a historic success.
“While the collapse of the Afghan government was rapid, the government had many months to prepare for the scheduled withdrawal. Yet, it took no steps to remove or destroy this equipment. Instead, it elected to leave this arsenal intact to the Taliban.” Atty. and Legal Analyst Jonathan Turley said.
“No one was fired or disciplined. Despite months to prepare, the Biden Administration elected to give the Taliban billions in weapons rather than destroy them. Yet, there seems little more than a shrug and a yawn from Congress and the press.” Turley added.
