Posted on 08/30/2021 8:36:54 AM PDT by USA Conservative
A video recently posted on social media showed Taliban fighters looking on as an iconic piece of US materiel (military hardware) – a Black Hawk helicopter – was piloted across Kandahar airport.
The four-blade multi-purpose aircraft was just taxiing on the tarmac, but the exercise sent a message to the world: the Taliban were no longer a group of ragtag soldiers wielding Kalashnikov assault rifles on battered pickup trucks.
Elsewhere, since the fall of Kabul on 15 August to the hard-line Islamist group, the Taliban’s fighters have been pictured showing off a host of US-made weaponry and vehicles.
Some of them were seen in complete combat gear in social media posts and couldn’t be distinguished from other special forces from across the world. There was no characteristic long beard, or traditional salwar kameez outfit, and certainly no rusted weapons. They looked the part.
They seized these weapons after troops from the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (Ands) surrendered one city after the other.
Video below:
Some on social media said this made the Taliban the only extremist group with an air force.
Taliban new arsenal:
Waters said this about the tragedy in Afghanistan:
It gets worse and worse and worse the more we find out.”
But indeed is becoming worse by the day!
Last week we had a good laugh when the Taliban tried to fly the BlackHawk but only managed to drive it through the airport.
Well, today we have a video from Kandahar Province where the Taliban did fly for the first time with the Black Hawk.
Video below:
It didn’t take them long to figure that out, or perhaps someone is teaching them how to operate all of our equipment?
It takes skilled pilots to fly one of them, they must have been training a long time!
Americans who trained Afghan pilots and ground crews are now raising the alarm about their safety. Though some flew out of the country, others are still in Afghanistan, hiding from the Taliban. And they are desperate to get out, fearing the Taliban may learn their identities and retaliate. Black Hawk helicopters can cost up to $21 million. In 2013, the U.S. placed an order for 20 A-29 Super Tucano attack aircraft for $427 million – that’s $21.3 million for each plane. Other specialized helicopters can cost up to $37 million each.
OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion
That's what they said about the helos we left in Vietnam. Some of them are still there and flying.
You assume Taliban personnel were piloting and maintaining the Black Hawks. IMO Pakistan military personnel were doing so.
Afghani’s who pretended to be pro American, of course, switched sides once they knew we were leaving. It’s not a complicated question
We left it there for them. That is part of the outrage. They pulled out the soldiers first, and then it was a huge mess. They had not taken any of the equipment out of Afghanistan; so, when the Taliban took over, they got all of that equipment that was left.
and the big guy got 10%
Why can’t we drone strike them?
The empty cat food can I threw away after feeding my kitty this morning is smarter than Biden, the IC and the current military brass.
Truly taking responsibility means you accept the punishment.
I don’t see Joe accepting any punishment
Every year there have been Afghan military groups over here training on everything we have. Every year a few go missing from the bases.
My guess is that some of the “loyal” pilots we trained either were Taliban or joined them with open arms.
We can, but we should have used tactical nukes inside Bagram AFB just after we left.
Probably a hostage pilot or a turncoat. Does it really matter?
Hmmm
The Chinese have back doors to all their stuff.
Why don’t we have back doors to the Black Hawks?
Send a little signal, and the main rotor blows off????
Apparently this isn’t the only execution of recent days. It seems that an interpreter was hanged.
That's between him and Dr. Jill.
Asking for a friend, of course…….
Meant to say remove weaponry.
Sorry
You’re forgiven
Thanks
The Afghan Army we trained.
Chart is missing a few important categories. Shouldn’t antitank and antiaircraft equipment be listed? Or don’t we care about manpads anymore?
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