But it's unclear how many of those the Taliban have actually captured. An image from six days after the city was taken over by the Taliban shows five aircraft - at least two MI helicopters, two Black Hawks UH and a third helicopter which could also be a UH, according to Angad Singh, a military aviation expert at Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation. In contrast, 16 aircraft - including nine Black Hawks and two MI helicopters and five fixed-wing planes - could be seen in another satellite image taken on 16 July.
It means that some of these aircraft were either flown out of the country or moved to other airbases. The Taliban has also captured the remaining nine Afghan airbases, including those in Herat, Khost, Kunduz and Mazar-i-Sharif - but it's not clear how many aircraft they have seized from there as satellite images are not available from these airports. Taliban fighters and local media have been posting images of confiscated aircraft and unmanned drones from these airports.
Some independent websites have also geo-located some of the aircraft. But there is also a suggestion that some aircraft were flown out of Afghanistan before they could fall into the hands of insurgent fighters. Analysis of satellite images taken on 16 August from Uzbekistan's Termez airport shows more than two dozen helicopters, including MI, MI, Black Hawks and also several A light-attack and C aircraft, according to a Delhi-based aviation expert who did not want to be named.
While there are questions over the Taliban's air power, experts agree that they have the experience to handle sophisticated guns, rifles and vehicles. And there are plenty of those in Afghanistan.
Between and , the US unloaded a huge amount of military hardware on the Afghan forces it fought alongside: , rifles of different makes, more than 64, machine guns, 25, grenade launchers and 22, Humvees all-terrain vehicles , according to the US Government Accountability Report. After Nato forces ended their combat role in , the Afghan army was tasked with securing the country. As it struggled to counter the Taliban, the US provided more equipment and replaced ageing military gear.
It supplied nearly 20, M16 rifles in alone. In subsequent years, it contributed at least 3, M4 rifles and 3, Humvees among other equipment to Afghan security forces between and , according to Sigar.
The Afghan army also had mobile strike force vehicles, which it used for deployments at short notice. Embassy helicopters gleaming under powerful overhead lights.
For their effort, Taliban fighters reaped almost 2, Humvees and trucks; more than 50 armored fighting vehicles, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protection vehicles, or MRAPs; scores of artillery and mortar pieces; more than a dozen aging but working helicopters and attack aircraft; a dozen tanks; seven Boeing-manufactured drones; and millions upon millions of bullets, according to a list compiled by the Oryx Blog, which tracks weapons used in conflicts.
Many of the items had been disabled by departing U. But a bitter result of the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan is that the very group the U. More photos. Thousands lay flowers at Tomb of the Unknowns to mark Veterans Day.
Freeways force out residents in communities of color — again. Photos: Scenes around the L. Marcus Yam is a foreign correspondent and photographer for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining in , he has covered a wide range of topics including humanitarian issues, social justice, terrorism, foreign conflicts, natural disasters, politics and celebrity portraiture.
He has been part of two Pulitzer Prize-winning breaking news teams and in was awarded the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Journalism Award for his body of work documenting the everyday plight of Gazans during deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip.
Podcast: Why we forget U. Shuttered and silent, a movie theater in Kabul awaits its fate under the Taliban. Taliban fighters were seen posing in aircraft for pictures and celebrating on the tarmac of Kabul airport. The aircraft abandoned in Kabul include:. MD helicopters, used for reconnaissance and close attack A light attack planes. In June, the Afghan armed forces were using:.
Image source, Getty Images. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter. Also left behind in Kabul were:.
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