Despite three years of unsuccessful efforts to reclaim military helicopters and planes from Afghanistan's previous government that were transferred by Afghan military pilots to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the day the former government fell, the Taliban continue to insist on obtaining these helicopters and planes.
On August 15, 2021, just hours after former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Kabul to the United Arab Emirates, Afghan military pilots, along with some family members, flew military helicopters and planes to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. They took 22 planes and 24 helicopters to Uzbekistan and 18 helicopters to Tajikistan. These pilots and their families were later transferred to the United States through the U.S. embassies in Dushanbe and Tashkent after staying in these two countries for a while.
Since forming their cabinet, the Taliban regime has repeatedly requested that the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan return the helicopters and planes, but the authorities of these two countries refused. Instead, they entered negotiations with the U.S. regarding the fate of these abandoned aircraft.
Uzbek media outlet Kun.uz, citing U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick, reported that an agreement had been finalized regarding these helicopters and planes from the previous Afghan government, and that they would remain in Uzbekistan. Henick stated, "The Afghans were never the owners of these aircraft; they belonged to the United States, and the Afghan military was only using them."
On Tuesday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement warning about the consequences of Uzbekistan's "deal" with the United States over the helicopters and fighter jets of the former Afghan government. The ministry claimed, "The United States has no right to confiscate or donate the property of the Afghan people." It called on the Uzbek government to make a "wise" decision, taking into account the principle of "good neighborliness," and hand over the helicopters and planes of the former Afghan military to the Taliban.
Uzbek authorities, who have recently established closer relations with the Taliban, have not yet officially commented on the Taliban Ministry of Defense's position. Last week, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan visited Kabul, met with Taliban leaders, and signed several agreements on trade and economic cooperation. Previously, Taliban Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob also warned the governments of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to hand over these helicopters and planes, but the officials of these two countries did not respond and instead negotiated with U.S. officials.
The details of the agreement between the U.S. and Uzbekistan regarding the transfer of 46 helicopters and planes from Afghanistan's previous government to Uzbekistan have not been announced. However, some media outlets have reported that Uzbekistan has committed to cooperating with the U.S. in the fight against terrorism in exchange for these military helicopters and planes.
The U.S., concerned about the growing activities of ISIS-Khorasan in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has increased its cooperation with Central Asian governments, particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, in recent years. ISIS-Khorasan launched two attacks from Afghan soil on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 2022, although these attacks did not result in any casualties.
Reports from the United Nations Security Council have mentioned the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, made up of Uzbek jihadists, as an active group allied with the Afghan Taliban and based in northern Afghanistan. The group has not carried out military activities in recent years, and according to intelligence reports, its organizational structure was disrupted after the death of its leader, Usman Ghazi, with some members joining ISIS-Khorasan.
In 2019, during peace negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban, Uzbekistan invited the Taliban's political delegation to Tashkent and requested that they hand over members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. After the Taliban regained power, Uzbek diplomats repeated this request. However, it remains unclear whether the remaining members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan were handed over to the Uzbek government or are still operating within the ranks of the Afghan Taliban.
Despite the transfer of helicopters and planes from Afghanistan's previous government to Uzbekistan, there has been no sign of tension or cooling of relations between the Taliban and Uzbekistan.
The United States invested over $18 million to equip the Afghan military’s air force with various helicopters and military planes. After the collapse of the government, some of these fell into Taliban hands. Over the past three years, the Taliban claimed they had repaired dozens of helicopters, planes, tanks, Humvee armored vehicles, police and military vehicles, and other military equipment that had been damaged and rendered inoperable during the former republic’s government.
Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban’s Chief of Army Staff, said on Wednesday that the group’s army would reach around 200,000 troops by the end of 2024, and that this number could increase if necessary.
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