Watch: How US 'demilitarised' Humvees, C-RAM systems and aircraft at Kabul airport
Story highlights
US troops disabled several Humvees, aircraft including C-Ram systems as they left Afghanistan just before the August 31 deadline.
As US troops prepared to leave Afghanistan they disabled several aircraft and armoured vehicles along with a high-tech rocket defence system at Kabul airport.
One of the tasks that the United States military has completed before leaving Afghanistan was to disable aircraft, armoured vehicles, and high-tech rocket systems. 73 aircraft at the #KabulAirport were demilitarised.@PriyankaSh25 tells you more pic.twitter.com/VIqieF1Zz1
— WION (@WIONews) August 31, 2021
Central command head General Kenneth Mckenzie said that 73 aircraft which were already at Kabul airport were "demilitarised" meaning it was rendered "useless" by US troops.
Watch:
The United States had built up a force of nearly 6,000 troops to occupy and operate the Hamid Karzai international airport when the evacuation operations began in earnest on August 15 as the Taliban entered the Afghan capital.
General McKenzie further said that the military left behind around 70 MRAP armoured tactical vehicles which can cost up to $1 million per piece.
The US military also "disabled" 27 Humvees which were used extensively by US troops in Afghanistan and had become an iconic vehicle for US troops who were involved in urban warfare asked Taliban militants including in rough terrain in the country.
The US troops also disabled the C-Ram system which is a high tech defence system used to protect Kabul airport from rocket attacks. The system had helped to fend off the five-rocket barrage from the Islamic State on Kabul airport on Monday.
General Mckenzie said that the C-Ram systems were kept in operation up until the very last minute just before the last US aircraft left with ground force commander General Chris Donahue and ambassador Ross Wilson.
Reports claimed earlier that the Taliban had seized weapons and equipment left behind by fleeing Afghan forces. News wire Reuters quoting an official had said 2,000 armoured vehicles, including US Humvees, 40 aircraft potentially including UH-60 Black Hawks were seized by the Taliban.
Republican Representative Michael McCaul on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee had said that the Taliban fighters had seized US-made weapons from retreating Afghan troops.
According to reports, the United States had equipped the Afghan army with rockets, night-vision goggles, small drones worth $28 billion between 2002 to 2017.
(With inputs from Agencies)
