By Thomas Catenacci
The Taliban has seized a variety of high-tech weaponry, 25 Republican senators said in a letter to the White House demanding a full accounting of the lost equipment.
The GOP senators led by Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Marco Rubio said they were “horrified” to see U.S. weaponry such as UH-60 Black Hawk combat helicopters in the Taliban’s possession, in the letter sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday. The lawmakers asked for detailed information about the seized equipment and an assessment of whether Russia, China and Iran could get their hands on the technology.
“We write with grave concern regarding the status of U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan as a result of our poorly executed withdrawal from the country,” they wrote to Austin.
“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,” the letter continued. “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.”
Taliban enjoying the $400,000 Humvee we left them pic.twitter.com/OjjjEbbd4Q
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) August 17, 2021
Top defense officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions about the weaponry, artillery, vehicles and equipment Taliban fighters have taken during their swift takeover of Afghanistan.
However, an anonymous defense official said the insurgents had accumulated a massive array of U.S. equipment in an interview with the Associated Press. The Taliban even obtained American biometric devices that contain information about former Afghan soldiers, a Joint Special Operations Command official told The Intercept.
Rubio and the other Republicans made a series of demands, asking Austin for a full account of military equipment given to the Afghan army, the estimated amount of operational weapons that were left behind in Afghanistan and a list of the equipment the U.S. believes was taken by the Taliban. They also asked for information on any efforts the Biden administration is planning to recapture or destroy the remaining equipment.
House Republicans to propose bill forcing Biden administration to reveal how much US weaponry Taliban seized during takeover
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee plan to offer legislation that would require the Biden administration to reveal how much U.S. equipment was taken by the Taliban.
The Republicans told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they would introduce the bill during the upcoming full committee markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) early next month. Since the U.S.-backed Afghanistan government’s sudden collapse on Sunday, the Taliban has reportedly seized an enormous stockpile of American weaponry, equipment, vehicles and artillery, the Associated Press reported.
“The Biden-Harris administration has failed to provide an accounting of U.S. equipment now in the hands of the Taliban,” Armed Services Ranking Member Mike Rogers said in a statement to the DCNF.
“Republican Members on the Armed Services Committee demand to know this information and we plan to offer legislation at our markup to require the Biden-Harris administration to detail what they have lost to the Taliban,” he said.
The Pentagon has refused to respond to questions regarding the Taliban’s seizure of billions of dollars worth of weapons the U.S. previously gave to Afghan security forces. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said Wednesday that he “preferred not to discuss” any potential actions the U.S. could take to ensure American equipment stayed out of the Taliban’s possession.
The #Taliban not only seized appr. a hundred US humvees and (MaxxPro) MRAPs at Kunduz airport, but also several US ScanEagle drones.
Billions of US tax payer $ going to Islamist extremists, thanks to the administration's hasty withdrawal without a peace deal or follow up mission. pic.twitter.com/Fb5MTpdLKK— Julian Röpcke (@JulianRoepcke) August 12, 2021
Videos shared on social media purportedly showed Taliban fighters sifting through hundreds of American guns, sitting on helicopters given to the now-defunct Afghan military, driving U.S. military vehicles and holding high-tech drones. One image appeared to show the Taliban operating a stealth U.S. helicopter in the skies of Kabul on Wednesday.
More than 20 Senate Republicans led by Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Marco Rubio wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, demanding more information about the equipment taken by the Taliban. The Republicans confirmed that the insurgents had possession of UH-60 Black Hawks.
“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,” the letter said. “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 NDAA is the annual appropriations legislation that outlines the federal government’s defense budget.
The Pentagon did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities for this original content, email licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
One of the truism about war is that they never go according to plan. The result of our Afganistan intervention which has gone on for nearly 20 years does not solely rest with one President who has been in office for six months but of a faliure to clearly define our mission and to understand the people and context is which it took place. When we make the decision go to war and incure the costs in blood and treasure war always entails, it should not be a partisan issue.
Questions worth considering going forward should include:
When it is in America’s interest to fight in a ground war?
Should we limit foreign intervention to questions of safety for Americans?
Should we fight to spread democracy?
Should we fight to defend human rights?
Should we fight to protect economic interests?
Should we fight to shorten wars or prevent genocide?
” rest with one President who has been in office for six months”
True enough John but the utter incompetence shown in the pull out strategy plans by this one six month-er does…
We should only fight wars we have the conviction to WIN…LCpl Bean- Vietnam
Exclusive
Includes original document:
EXC: Joe Biden’s State Dept Halted a Trump-Era ‘Crisis Response’ Plan Aimed at Avoiding Benghazi-Style Evacuations Just MONTHS Before Taliban Takeover.
August 18, 2021 · Raheem J. Kassam
https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/bidens-state-dept-halted-trump-era-crisis-response-plan/
Podcast:
https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/how-bidens-state-dept-canceled-trumps-crisis-plan/
Biden and his handlers were warned by US diplomats in Afghanistan of the SWIFT Taliban takeover on JULY 13, 2021
The US diplomats were ignored by Biden and his handlers.
Biden: “Gee, I thought it would not be THAT quick.”
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/diplomats-statedepartment-taliban/2021/08/19/id/1033085/
Biden is hiding in the basement in Delaware, or at Camp David, and has answered no questions from the Press.
The illegitimate, feeble-minded, dysfunctional, Biden-charade ERA is over!!
$5 TRILLION of so-called “infrastructure bills”, which would result in a US government takeover of everything by Dem/Progs, will not be passed in the US House and Senate
U.S. citizens voted for this they have nobody top blame but themselves and they still have no idea what is coming at them in the near future.
NewsFlash: Voters did not vote for Biden – we voted Donald Trump. And he won overwhelming landslide, perhaps greates in history. Conservative estimates are 80 million – other valid estimates as high as 100 million.
Pants on fire alert: Tho DemocratMarxist Party and MSM continue the hoax, a hearty huh because left has admittedly stole, er, “saved and “fortified” the election as a humanitarian effort no less. Uh huh. Read it and weep:
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election
By Molly Ball February 4, 2021 5:40 AM EST
https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/?amp=true
The catastrophe unfolding in Afghanistan is solely the fault of a bumbling Joe Biden, urged on to commit to a half baked plan by an unknown number of ignorant, stupid, and self serving liberal politicians and political activists. And that includes Vermont’s own congressional delegation. The ramifications will go far beyond the loss of enough first class, hi-tech military equipment to outfit nearly half-a-million Jihad fighters. Many of the helicopters have already been flown out of the country, though, by American trained Afghan pilots and crews. The more sophisticated equipment will eventually break down for lack of spare parts and repair technology. The small arms–well, there will always be sufficient small arms weaponry in the world for armies of budding terrorists. And of course, much will be sold to counties likes China and Russia who will be delighted to get their hands on American technology.
The real hurt, and well-spring of dangers to come, will be the impact on the stature of the United States, and the perception of our trustworthiness to long time allies and friendly countries.
On a personal note, to all the progressive, liberal whack jobs who see this disaster as something our country deserved because of it’s evil ways; go pound sand…
A big part of the problem was the attempt to build centralized nation state among decentralized tribal people. The fact that everything fell apart so quickly shows how wrong headed this whole effort was from the start. Now the Taliban has access to equipment that we tried to prop up a nation state with.
It should be an impeachable offense to arm the number 3 terror unit with 80 billions worth of the most advanced drones, helo’s , comm equipment, armed personnel carriers, m4s with millions of rounds, machine guns with ammo, night fighting tech, bio-metric tech.. which will all be sold to the chyna commies by the tallyboon.
even wwII personnel had thermite grenades to destroy what they couldn’t take out, the most basic rule in leaving is don’t leave anything your enemy can use against you or sell to our enemies…
The penalty use to be hanging for traitors… I would recommend a few in the pantygone to join ol joe..