In a chaotic event reminiscent of the last days of the Vietnam War, the United States military
hastily conducted its final withdrawal operations in Afghanistan in 2021.
Amid a relentlessly advancing Taliban force, thousands of civilians trying to escape, and
an immovable deadline, the US left behind millions of dollars in groundbreaking military equipment.
Soon, footage of Taliban foot soldiers handling American weaponry circled the world. But the most
advanced military equipment in the world requires high-level training, something the Taliban lacked.
With no official US support, instruction of maintenance disaster was bound to happen.
A recent video shows Taliban operators attempting to fly a Sikorsky UH-60 Black
Hawk helicopter after many unsuccessful attempts.
This time, however, they were finally able to lift the 10-million-dollar bird from the ground,
if only for a few seconds before disaster struck…
A Desperate Retreat
After 20 years of devastating conflict, the US was forced to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021.
President Joe Biden announced that all American troops would leave Afghanistan
by September 11 and later moved the date ahead to August 31, stating that the United States
had accomplished its mission of denying terrorists a safe haven in the country.
Biden added that it was clear the US military could not transform
Afghanistan into a modern and stable democracy.
The decision was immediately met with harsh criticism,
but the US administration and the Taliban signed a peace treaty detailing the process
of withdrawing American troops from Afghan soil on the condition
that the new government would never harbor terrorist organizations within its borders.
Nevertheless, the methodic scheme turned into scary scenes of utter chaos as the
Taliban military forces crushed the Afghan Army and rushed toward Kabul.
The United States had planned to leave behind 650 troops to secure its embassy in Kabul,
but due to the sudden Taliban victory, the embassy had to shut down quickly after
destroying all sensitive documents. A makeshift embassy was then set up at the Kabul airport.
In what became the world's largest airlift operation,
the US flew over 100,000 people out of the country. Even so, it wasn’t enough to protect
the hundreds of thousands of people who rushed to the airport to escape the country. Many of
them clung to the outer hull of American aircraft in a desperate effort to leave.
The US authorities had ordered their men to destroy any military equipment
that could not be extracted during the retreat, but amid the chaos and
hurried operation, over seven billion dollars in state-of-the-art military gear was left behind.
Unsurprisingly, everything was promptly seized by the
Taliban after the last American aircraft took off.
Spoils of War
With the Taliban now controlling the streets of Kabul and other cities,
there was fear and uncertainty throughout the country, with door-to-door searches
being conducted in some neighborhoods for those who supported the government or American effort,
and restrictions being imposed on women and independent journalists.
At the same time, the new regime immediately took control of all
the military assets left behind by the US military. According to official records,
during the span of 16 years, the US had transferred a total of 18.6 billion dollars
of equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Additionally, the US
troops stationed in the region also utilized an extensive arsenal of American weapons and gear.
As the withdrawal from the country became an inevitability, America tried to extract or destroy
as much of its equipment as it possibly could, but as the chaotic events leading to August 30,
2021, unfolded, equipment worth 7.12 billion dollars remained in Afghanistan.
According to recent reports, 78 demilitarized aircraft worth 923.3
million dollars were left at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul alone.
Additionally, 9,524 air-to-ground munitions valued at 6.54 million dollars, 40,000 military vehicles,
300,000 weapons, nearly all communications equipment, night vision, surveillance equipment,
and explosive ordnance disposal and demining equipment remained in the country.
Black Hawks
The operational condition of the vehicles left behind is unknown.
The US forces attempted to leave only the equipment that would be less effective to
the new regime. As the report describes: (QUOTE): "The significant majority of
the remaining aircraft munitions stock are non-precision munitions."
The US also left a massive stock of maintenance and communication systems
that did not give the enemy a direct firepower advantage.
Despite all of their considerable effort,
the Taliban were able to get their hands on some very specialized American military equipment,
technology that instantly put them in the top bracket of military technology across the globe.
Most remarkably, the US left behind 33 Black Hawk helicopters, making the Taliban surpass 85 percent
of all countries owning this specific technology, one that is highly guarded by the United States.
Even more concerning is the fact that while most aircraft were purposely sabotaged by the
Americans so that they would never fly again, the Black Hawks were,
at the moment of the government overthrow, in the hands of the Afghan military,
and thus mostly operational when the Taliban seized them.
Steep Learning Curve
In response to the harsh criticism Biden and his administration have received for the withdrawal
operations, they have continuously argued that the limited number of operational aircraft,
including Black Hawks, left behind: (QUOTE) "May be of very limited use
to the Taliban without trained pilots, maintenance and access to spare parts."
But this has not stopped the Taliban from trying.
Known to be challenging to fly, the Black Hawks have come into recent controversy following a
series of high-profile crashes even when operated by experienced American pilots,
which has led US servicemen to dub the aircraft the ‘Crash Hawk.’
Since the day the last US plane left Afghanistan, videos of Taliban militiamen aboard US aircraft
and inside Black Hawk helicopters have been shared all over the internet.
Footage of a Black Hawk helicopter operated by Taliban pilots eventually emerged. In it,
the aircraft is seen trying to take off, but the inexperienced operators never achieve the task.
Nevertheless, over a year after the Taliban take-over,
a new video showed the helicopter being successfully flown above the compound of
the Ministry of Defense in Kabul. However, things quickly turned awry when the pilot lost control
of the aircraft, and it suddenly dove nose first and started to lose altitude violently.
With the rotor blades in a vertical position, the Black Hawk plummeted into the ground,
leaving the crew no time to react or stabilize the helicopter.
The aircraft is then seen crashing behind some trees
as dust and debris come flying over the canopies.
Aftermath
The Taliban government reported that the pilot and two crew members lost their lives during
the crash, while the other two passengers made it out alive but were severely injured.
The Taliban didn't provide details as to the cause of the disaster apart from
saying that it was caused by: (QUOTE) "A technical problem."
Unconfirmed reports supposedly mentioned that the pilot was a noted tinsmith and
carpet maker in his district. It is said that he convinced a local commander to
allow him to fly the helicopter, citing his experience on a mobile app flight simulator.
In the end, the shocking images might be a glimpse of what awaits the Taliban if
they continue attempting to operate some of the most advanced military
equipment in the world without proper training, maintenance, or spare parts.
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