US weapons left behind in Afghanistan have become the mainstay of Taliban forces, US agency reveals

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The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the US government oversight body established to rebuild Afghanistan, revealed in a recent report that billions of dollars worth of US weapons remaining in Afghanistan have now become the mainstay of the Taliban's security forces.

The SIGAR report was released last week. The 137-page document examined the 20-year US mission to rebuild Afghanistan and train its armed forces. 

According to the SIGAR report, the US spent about $145 billion on reconstruction in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021. Most of this money was set aside for building a stable and modern security force and supporting a peaceful democratic government. 

However, the report concludes that these extensive efforts have failed to establish lasting peace or true democracy in Afghanistan. On the contrary, these American weapons and military equipment have become a reason to strengthen the Afghan Taliban government. 

The US Department of Defense confirmed that approximately $7.1 billion worth of military equipment remained in Afghanistan during the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.

This includes tens of thousands of vehicles, more than 427,000 small arms, night vision devices, and more than 160 aircraft.  

It should be noted that SIGAR is an independent US agency established in 2008 that oversees how US taxpayer money is spent in Afghanistan.