Trump vows to reclaim US weapons left in Afghanistan
Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, criticized the country’s policy toward Taliban just one day before his inauguration. He stated that the U.S. would condition the transfer of money to Afghanistan on the return of American military equipment.
Trump, who arrived in Washington late on Saturday for the inauguration ceremony, delivered his final speech before the event on Sunday. In this address, he sharply criticized the U.S. government’s policy toward Afghanistan.
He called the administration of Joe Biden, the current U.S. president, “incompetent” and added, “They, the Biden administration, handed over a large portion of U.S. military equipment to the enemy (the Taliban). And do you know that we were paying billions of dollars to Afghanistan annually?”
Throughout his election campaign and in subsequent speeches, Trump repeatedly emphasized that U.S. financial aid to Afghanistan should be stopped. However, in his latest speech, he conditioned this aid on the retrieval of American military equipment.
He explained, “If we are going to pay billions of dollars every year, tell them (the Taliban) that we will not give them the money unless they return our military equipment, which these foolish and incompetent people (the Biden administration) allowed to fall into their hands.”
Trump also insisted, “We will give them (the Taliban) some money, but we want our military equipment back.”
The U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan has been a subject of controversy in the years following the withdrawal of foreign forces. Trump has frequently criticized this issue.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Defense submitted to Congress, approximately seven billion dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban. However, Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the value of U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan amounts to $85 billion.
The ongoing issue of U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan has become a focal point of political debate, especially in the context of the U.S. withdrawal and the subsequent Taliban takeover. Trump’s remarks reflect deep concerns over the mishandling of military resources and the strategic implications of the withdrawal, which continue to shape the discourse on U.S. foreign policy in the region.
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