Choppers, rifles, humvees: What Taliban captured during Afghanistan blitzkrieg

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In just every week , the Taliban, the new rulers of Afghanistan, captured city after city and eventually took Kabul in check , thereby completing their victory. The stunning pace at which the insurgent force seized trade routes and overtook border crossings and sent shockwaves across the world .

This win came just weeks before the entire withdrawal folks and Nato soldiers. And it had been made possible by the US-made weapons, which were seized by the Taliban fighters as they overran the country.

The captured equipment include rifles and body armor suits, and a few expensive weapons system. Here’s the list:

The Taliban fighters are seen roaming around with firearms and vehicles that US troops used or provided to the Afghan national security forces. Some videos have emerged which show them using advanced UH-60 Black Hawk attack helicopters.

The insurgents also captured the palatial residence of Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, who has been fighting the Sunni Pashtun group for many years . The residence was captured during the Taliban offensive within the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Some Taliban fighters were also seen trading their Russian-made AK-47 rifles for US guns. They were seen carrying M4 carbines and M16 rifles discarded by Afghan army units.

Footage of Afghan soldiers surrendering within the northern city of Kunduz showed army vehicles loaded with heavy weapons and mounted with artillery guns within the hands of the insurgent rank and file.
In the western city of Farah, fighters patrolled during a car marked with an eagle swooping on a snake – the official insignia of the country’s intelligence

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Among other equipment, the Taliban fighters got their hands on humvees, small arms and lightweight weapons, also as shoulder-mounted drones grenade launchers.

The Taliban also gained control of Mi-24 helicopters gifted by India to Afghanistan. Some fighters clicked photographs standing right next to the chopper when the town of Kunduz fell. The rotor blades of the attack helicopter were missing within the photo, indicating that the Afghan forces removed them to stop the Taliban from using them.