Half a million American weapons fell into the hands of the Taliban after the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

 

After the withdrawal of the international coalition troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban seized a huge amount of American weapons and military equipment. According to data provided by the Pentagon, firearms such as M4 and M16 rifles, as well as a significant amount of military equipment, including armored vehicles and even military aircraft, have fallen into the hands of the Taliban.

Most of these weapons were provided to the previous Afghan government by the United States and other Western countries. However, as the Taliban advanced towards Kabul in 2021, many Afghan soldiers surrendered or fled, abandoning their weapons and vehicles. As a result, the Taliban gained access to a huge arsenal, including 22,174 Humvees, 33 Black Hawk helicopters and up to 40 combat helicopters.

In addition, the Taliban also received a significant number of small arms, including 258,300 rifles, 64,300 pistols and other types of weapons. In total, the United States supplied more than 500,000 small arms to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2016.

These weapons not only strengthened the Taliban's armament, but also became the subject of propaganda, demonstrating their successes on the battlefield. In addition, some of these weapons were used to arm other radical groups in the region.