The Taliban's new war chest includes planes, rifles, and night-vision goggles, all manufactured in the United States.

1. The Taliban's new war chest
includes planes, rifles, and
night-vision goggles, all
manufactured in the United
States.
Afghanistan's ministry of defense shared photos on social media a
month ago of seven brand new helicopters supplied by the United
States to Kabul.
"They'll see a consistent drumbeat of that kind of support in the
future," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at the
Pentagon a few days later.

2. The Taliban, on the other hand, had conquered the majority of the
country in a few weeks, as well as any weapons and equipment left
behind by fleeing Afghan forces.
The insurgents were shown checking lengthy lines of vehicles and
opening crates of new weaponry, communications equipment, and
even military drones on video.
"Everything that hasn't been destroyed is now the Taliban's," a US
official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
According to current and former US officials, there is concern that the
weapons may be used to murder people, taken by other militant
organizations such as Islamic State to attack US interests in the
region, or even turned over to foes like China and Russia.
The administrator"We have already seen Taliban fighters armed with
US-made weapons they seized from the Afghan forces. This poses a
significant threat to the United States and our allies," Representative
Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the US House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told Reuters in an email.
Airstrikes on heavier equipment, such as helicopters, have not been
ruled out, according to sources, but there is the worry that doing so
might antagonize the Taliban at a time when the US' primary purpose
is to evacuate people.
While no exact figures have been released, another official stated that
the Taliban are believed to have control of over 2,000 armored
vehicles, including US Humvees, as well as up to 40 aircraft, including
US fighter jets.

3. "We've already seen Taliban fighters armed with weapons made in the
United States that they snatched from Afghan soldiers. This is a major
threat to the United States and its allies "In an email to Reuters,
Representative Michael McCaul, the senior Republican on the US
House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
'I LIKE TROPHIES MORE'
The Taliban's rapid advance across Afghanistan is reminiscent of
Islamic State terrorists stealing weaponry from US-supplied Iraqi
soldiers in 2014 who provided no resistance.
Between 2002 and 2017, the US spent an estimated $28 billion on
weapons for the Afghan military, including rifles, rockets, night-vision
goggles, and even tiny drones for intelligence gathering.
However, helicopters like the Blackhawk have been the most
conspicuous symbol of US military assistance and were intended to
be the Afghan force's major edge over the Taliban.
According to the US Government Accountability Office, the US
provided Afghan forces with 208 aircraft between 2003 and 2016.
(GAO).
Many of those planes were crucial in helping Afghan pilots flee the
Taliban in the last week.
Afghan pilots seeking refuge have flown between 40 and 50 planes to
Uzbekistan, according to a US official. The Taliban had begun an
assassination campaign against pilots even before taking power in
Kabul over the weekend.

4. Some planes were in the US for maintenance and will remain there.
Those on their way to Afghan forces will instead be deployed by the
US military to assist in Kabul's evacuation.
While current and former officials are concerned about the Taliban
gaining access to the helicopters, they also acknowledge that the
aircraft requires constant maintenance and that many are difficult to fly
without extensive training.
"Ironically, our equipment's frequent breakdowns are a lifesaver here,"
a third official explained.
General Joseph Votel, a retired US Army general who led US military
operations in Afghanistan as the director of US Central Command
from 2016 to 2019, claimed the Talib captured most of the high-end
equipment.
"Some of these will be more like prizes in some cases," Votel added.
FIGHTING IN THE DARK
Some of the easier-to-use weaponry and equipment, such as night-
vision goggles, are causing more immediate concern.
Since 2003, the US has delivered at least 600,000 infantry weapons to
Afghan forces, including M16 assault rifles, 162,000 pieces of
communication equipment, and 16,000 night-vision goggles.
One legislative aide told Reuters, "The capacity to operate at night is a
big game-changer."
Small armaments captured by the Taliban, including machine guns,
mortars, and artillery pieces, including howitzers, according to Votel
and others, might provide the Taliban an advantage over any

5. resistance that might emerge in historic anti-Taliban strongholds like
the Panjshir Valley northeast of Kabul.
Most of the weapons are expected to be utilized by the Taliban
themselves, according to US officials, but it's far too early to say what
they'll do with them, including whether they'll share them with rival
powers like China.
The Taliban, according to Andrew Small of the German Marshall Fund
of the United States, are likely to provide Beijing access to any US
weapons.
According to one US source, China is unlikely to benefit much
because it already has access to weapons and equipment.
Experts say the case demonstrates that the US needs a better means
to track the technology it supplies to allies. According to Justine
Fleischner of Conflict Armament Research in the United Kingdom, it
might have done a lot more to ensure that supplies to Afghan forces
were thoroughly supervised and inventoried.
"However, the time for these initiatives to have any effect in
Afghanistan has passed," Fleischner added.