The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again criticised the way his country left Afghanistan claiming the Taliban are making a fortune by selling remaining American weapons and equipment.
International Business Times quotes Trump’s remarks in an interview with Fox News, where Trump claims that the US gave Afghanistan military equipment worth $85 billion, including brand-new trucks, planes, guns, and rifles.
Trump also said that Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US only needed approximately 40,000 weapons but had 700,000 American rifles and guns by the time of the US troop withdrawal in August 2021.
He described the exit from Afghanistan as a “mess.”
According to Trump, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recommended leaving military equipment behind since it was cheaper to do so. However, Trump wanted every item of equipment removed from Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban from acquiring them. He said he believed Milley should be court-martialed for his botched handling of the troop withdrawal in Afghanistan.
“I told them I do not want you to leave a screw or a bolt. I want every nail, I want all canvas from the tents, I want the tanks, I want the planes, I want the guns, I want everything,” Trump said.
“They (Taliban) are selling the rest, making a fortune. We left it there,” Trump added.
Trump’s comments came days after the Biden administration released a report on withdrawing from Afghanistan. In this report, most of the blame for the exit operation is placed on the shoulders of the previous US government led by Trump. The report accused Trump of signing a hasty agreement with the Taliban, which severely tied Joe Biden’s hands.
