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
Satan
Oh Rush…if only you had lived long enough to see this. Everything you had said about Democrats over the years … multiply tenfold.
The Taliban has a larger air force than Canada.
What is infuriating to me is that I am told that there are about 5 different parts on the Blackhawk that can be removed in less than 5 min that would make it inoperable until those parts are replaced. Yet no order was given to take out those parts.
Can someone with Blackhawk expertise confirm this detail? At least about the parts that can be quickly removed.
Disguised as a Chi-Comm.
Pilots that we trained or Chinese or Pakistani pilots.
Looks like Afghanis are smarter than Biden, the IC and Military Brass.
CIA.
It’s what they do.................................
From the Afghan Army. Hardly every used, only dropped once.
On Rumble now
WATCH: Taliban reportedly flying American-made Black Hawk helicopter over Kandahar, Afghanistan
https://rumble.com/vlvc89-taliban-reportedly-flying-american-made-black-hawk-helicopter-over-kandahar.html
We have just funded and equipped a new Islamic Army committed to the destruction of Israel and the West. The question is…why?
Most of these were to be turned over or had been turned over to the Afghan Army so you are soot on about the presence of Aghan pilots and mechs. As for their cooperation could be coerced, could be paid, could be just working for a new boss. Doesn’t really matter.
The Taliban will do that anyway. Joe gave them the names
That is astonishing. I had no idea. Thanks. It reminds me of some of the lawnmowers I've had over the years.
Many were trained by the USA and I’m sure the Taliban will “enlist” them to train others.
Spare parts maybe tougher but anything can be bought with enough cash that “our government” is probably sending on pallets as we speak
Why isn’t every piece of military hardware we left behind a smoking pile of rubble at this point? More importantly, why didn’t every piece of hardware left behind get fitted with a remote destruct device?
Russian flight instructors gave training to North Korea pilots during the Korean War, and gave flight training to North Vietnam pilots during the Vietnam War.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.