One Year After Afghanistan Withdrawal, Millions of Afghans Facing Starvation as US Maintains Sanctions
AntiWarNov 23, 2022
Report: US Arms Left in Afghanistan Now Surfacing in Kashmir
Image copyright: AFP/Getty Images [via NBC News]
The Facts
NBC News reported on Monday that authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir have claimed that militants allegedly trying to annex the region for Pakistan are carrying M4s, M16s, and other US-made arms and ammunition left behind by US and NATO forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Most of the weapons recovered are said to be from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), both Pakistan-based militant groups that the US designates as terrorist organizations, but Indian officials deny that they could change the balance of power in the 30-year conflict.
The Spin
Republican narrative
This is a direct consequence of the Biden admin. allowing the Taliban, a terrorist organization, to get ahold of billions of dollars worth of high-tech military hardware, including aircraft and vehicles. Biden and the rest of the Democrats continue to obfuscate their failings and avoid taking responsibility for their blunders.
Democratic narrative
Though the US was forced to leave behind a sizable amount of equipment, most of it was either rendered inoperable before the end of the withdrawal or is unusable without technical maintenance and spare parts. Plus, the figure of $7B is less than half of the total $18.6B worth of equipment provided to Afghan forces since 2005.