ISLAMABAD: Acting Minister of Defense Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid hasissued a blunt warning to the world and Pakistan that every piece ofmilitary equipment abandoned by retreating American and NATO forces nowbelongs irrevocably to the Islamic Emirate and will be treated as sacrednational wealth.
Addressing reporters in Kabul, the Taliban strongman declared that weapons,armored vehicles, military bases, and even aircraft left behind during thechaotic 2021 withdrawal are completely secure under Taliban control. Hedismissed any suggestion of foreign reclamation, insisting the massivearsenal constitutes legitimate spoils of war that will fuel Afghanistan’sreconstruction.
“Everything that was left here is spoils of war. It belongs to the peopleof Afghanistan,” Mujahid stated without equivocation. He described thecaptured hardware as national wealth that the Islamic Emirate will neverabandon or allow to be taken back.
The acting minister went further, delivering a barely veiled threat to anypower contemplating intervention. “Our land is now under our full control.We will never allow anyone to violate our soil. Anyone who tries willreceive the same crushing response you witnessed before,” he warned,referencing the Taliban’s reported attack on Pakistan border.
Military analysts estimate the Taliban inherited equipment worth over sevenbillion dollars, including thousands of Humvees, hundreds of armoredvehicles, drones, small arms, ammunition stockpiles, and dozens of aircraftranging from Black Hawk helicopters to A-29 Super Tucano light attackplanes. While some aircraft were rendered inoperable before evacuation,many remain functional and have already appeared in Taliban victory parades.
Mujahid’s remarks come amid persistent reports of Taliban fightersdisplaying American-made weapons on social media and conducting trainingexercises with newly acquired hardware. The statements effectively slam thedoor on quiet diplomatic efforts by Washington to recover or destroysensitive equipment.
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The acting minister’s tone left no room for negotiation, framing anyattempt to retrieve the arsenal as an act of aggression against Afghansovereignty. His comments reinforce the Taliban’s narrative that thetwenty-year occupation ended in total victory, with the departing forcesleaving behind the tools of their own defeat.
Source:www.afghanistannews.af/en/2025/12/taliban-defense-minister-weapons-statement”>https://www.afghanistannews.af/en/2025/12/taliban-defense-minister-weapons-statement
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