Article Author:
Reuters
Mohammad Yunus Yawar
KABUL — Taliban warplanes flew over the Afghan capital on Wednesday as the group's defense ministry tested recently repaired hardware. did. acquired since the Taliban seized power a year ago.
Aircraft, including a helicopter and at least one of his planes, flew low over Kabul near the airport. Among them were at least one Russian-made MI-24 attack helicopter and what appeared to be two of his American-made aircraft.
Defense Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi told Reuters the Taliban had recently repaired several helicopters and were flying them high as a test. He did not confirm the exact manufacturer or country of origin, only saying that "all types of aircraft" have been tested.
Who repairs helicopters? It was not clear whether they provided technical expertise for
Taliban officials say former Afghan National Army pilots, mechanics and other professionals will be integrated into the security forces.
The Department of Defense said in a statement that its engineering team had recently repaired 35 tanks, 15 Humvees and 20 US-made Navistar 7000 military vehicles.
Everything has been damaged as the Taliban took over his country in August 2021. The anniversary was marked on Monday with rallies and shootings by hardline Islamist groups.
US forces destroyed more than 70 aircraft and dozens of armored vehicles and disabled air defense systems before taking off from Kabul's airport after a chaotic evacuation operation.
Between 2002 and 2017, the U.S. used weapons, ammunition, vehicles, night vision equipment, aircraft, and surveillance systems, according to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Special Inspector General.
Some planes escaped Afghan forces a year ago and were flown to neighboring Central Asian countries, while the rest were taken over by the Taliban. It remains unknown how many are in operation. (Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
