Uzbekistan hands over Afghan army helicopters to the US to help them escape the Taliban
Seven American Black Hawk helicopters, which Afghan pilots fled to Uzbekistan in 2021, have been officially transferred to the United States. This was reported by diplomatic sources.
Here's What We Know
Kabul demanded that these helicopters be returned to Afghanistan, while former US President Donald Trump called on the Taliban to return American weapons to Washington.
The US invested billions of dollars in building the Afghan army before the 2001 invasion, hoping to turn it into an outpost against the Taliban. However, in 2021, when the militants regained control of the country, much of this weaponry ended up in their hands.
"We have seized these seven helicopters," a source at the US Embassy in Tashkent said, confirming the information provided by the Uzbek branch of Voice of America. According to the Pentagon, the helicopters were inoperable.
Uzbekistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan, has not commented on the situation, as information in the country is strictly controlled. The Taliban has also not spoken out on the matter, although it has previously called on Tashkent to hand over Afghan warplanes to them. According to satellite images, more than 45 Afghan aircraft were spotted in Uzbekistan in 2021. The fate of the remaining ones is currently unknown.
Source: The Defence Post
