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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFACT FOCUS: Trump, others wrong on US gear left with Taliban
The Taliban have seized both political power and significant U.S.-supplied firepower in their whirlwind takeover of Afghanistan, recovering guns, ammunition, helicopters and other modern military equipment from Afghan forces who surrendered it.
But the gear the Taliban have obtained isnt worth the $80 billion or more being claimed this week by social media users and political figures including Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Lauren Boebert and former President Donald Trump.
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CLAIM: Taliban fighters now possess U.S. military equipment worth between $80 and $85 billion.
THE FACTS: Those numbers are significantly inflated, according to reports from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, which oversees American taxpayer money spent on the conflict.
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Their $85 billion figure resembles a number from a July 30 quarterly report from SIGAR, which outlined that the U.S. has invested about $83 billion to build, train and equip Afghan security forces since 2001.
Yet that funding included troop pay, training, operations and infrastructure along with equipment and transportation over two decades, according to SIGAR reports and Dan Grazier, a defense policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/fact-focus-trump-others-wrong-on-us-gear-left-with-taliban/ar-AANXdlT
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)"So, how did you arrive at that figure of $85 billion worth of military equipment? Do you have an inventory sheet or some sort of documentation for that oddly exact number?"
PortTack
(32,605 posts)The choppers need a crew of 11 highly trained ppl to maintain and operate these picky birds as one veteran called them. It wont be long before they will not be air worthy, if not already.
As far as humvees and other equipment the military sensitive parts have been removed.
OneGrassRoot
(22,917 posts)Do you know if the transport simply wasnt financially worth it? Im simply slightly curious. lol
doc03
(35,143 posts)anyone that can fly or maintain a chopper?