The Taliban have access to US military aircraft. Now what happens? – By Valerie Insinna (Defense News) / Aug 18 2021
WASHINGTON — Once the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan’s airfield in Kandahar on Friday, it didn’t take long for photos to appear on social media showing Taliban fighters posing with military helicopters such as U.S.-made Black Hawks and Soviet-made Mi-17s.
After the group took over Mazar-i-Sharif airport this weekend, more photos followed, this time of Taliban members standing next to an A-29 attack plane and MD-530 utility helicopter.
Now, with Afghanistan under Taliban control, the question is no longer whether the organization will gain access to the Afghan air force’s inventory of U.S.-provided planes and helicopters, but what it plans to do with them — and what the U.S. military can do in response.
#Taliban seized Blackhawks on #Kandahar airport pic.twitter.com/Uv9iIo1HDu
— C4H10FO2P ☠️ (@markito0171) August 14, 2021
