The US military likely dumped tens of millions of dollars worth of planes, armored vehicles and sophisticated defensive systems in a rush to leave Kabul airport safely.
Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, said some equipment had been “demilitarized”, rendered essentially unusable. The troops likely used thermate grenades, which burn at temperatures of 4,000 degrees, to destroy key components of the equipment, according to a Defense Ministry official who was not authorized to speak in public .
Some pieces of equipment probably exploded. Another defense official, also not authorized to speak publicly, admitted that an explosion heard last week at the airport was linked to the destruction of equipment.
McKenzie listed the items on Monday when announcing the end of 20-year involvement in Afghanistan, America’s longest war:
MRAP
No less than 70 MRAPs, ambush protected and mine resistant vehicles built to withstand explosions from improvised explosive devices, have been abandoned. They have been credited by the Pentagon with saving the lives and limbs of thousands of soldiers. The vehicles cost around $ 1 million each.
Humvees
The military left behind 27 Humvees, light tactical vehicles that were replaced by MRAPs in Iraq and Afghanistan after they were found to be vulnerable to IED attacks. The price of a Humvee was less than a third of an MRAP.
Airplane
On the airstrip, the army left 73 planes. McKenzie did not specify what types of planes, whether helicopters or fixed-wing.
“These planes will never fly again,” he said. Pentagon officials acknowledged, and photos showed, that the soldiers were operating Apache attack helicopters at the airport. A new one costs over $ 30 million.
Afghan pilots flew some of the advanced planes to foreign countries. Much of the rest has been abandoned.
Counter-rocket, artillery and mortar systems
McKenzie did not specify how many of those units, which at $ 10 million each detect and shoot down incoming rockets and artillery and mortar shells, were left behind. But he said they had been kept until the end to ensure Kabul airfield was defended against rocket attacks like the one launched on Monday.
“Certainly our goal was not to leave them any equipment, but that is not always an option when you are looking to demote and get out of a war zone,” said the press secretary of the White House, Jen Psaki.
McKenzie stressed that the equipment would be of no use in combat. But they will likely be presented by the Taliban as trophies of their decades-long struggle to reclaim their country.
The systems and hardware will have little more than symbolic value, said Loren Thompson, defense industry consultant and military analyst at the Lexington Institute.
“Helicopters are the most expensive item, but the Taliban’s ability to operate and maintain them without outside help is modest,” Thompson said. “The lack of American logistical support will lead to a constant deterioration in the state of the residual Afghan military arsenal. Even small arms will gradually become unusable if not properly maintained. MRAPs are real energy guzzlers, so their value in a country where fuel supplies are scarce and terrorist attacks have largely ceased, is doubtful. “
In total, the Pentagon has left behind tens of billions of dollars in equipment donated to Afghan security forces. The US government has spent $ 83 billion to train and equip the Afghan army, according to the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan. The Pentagon and the White House had argued that the Afghan army’s ranks totaled 300,000, but in reality there were far fewer. In the weeks and months before the Taliban took power, with the withdrawal of American support, many Afghan troops stopped fighting for a corrupt and ineffective government.
Contribution: Rebecca Morin
