Abandoned Afghanistan military equipment accountability sought

A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking a complete account of military equipment left behind in Afghanistan.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined 23 Senate colleagues in penning the letter to Austin. The equipment has already or risks falling into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies.

In November 2020, Rubio submitted a National Review op-ed detailing concerns regarding how improper planning of U.S. forces withdrawal from Afghanistan could result in American weapons flung into possession of the Taliban or other adversaries.

“As we watched the images coming out of Afghanistan as the Taliban retook the country, we were horrified to see U.S. equipment – including UH-60 Black Hawks – in the hands of the Taliban,” the legislators wrote. “It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies. Securing U.S. assets should have been among the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Defense prior to announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”

The lawmakers requested detailed information that includes a full account of military equipment provided to the Afghan Armed Forces in the last year; military equipment, owned by either the U.S. or Afghan Armed Forces, removed or destroyed before the U.S. withdrawal or rendered inoperable without U.S. logistics personnel; military equipment that remains operational in Afghanistan; and an assessment of how long it will take the Taliban to use each of the captured equipment.