Nabih Bulos is the Middle East foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. He has been reporting live from Kabul for weeks. Yesterday, he entered the former US military section of the Kabul airport alongside Taliban fighters.
What he discovered was the US government left behind even more sophisticated helicopters for the Taliban. There are four massive helicopters, which appear to Boeing Chinooks that belong to the US State Department. These cost $30 million each.
America gives Pakistan about $600 million in aid per year. Why couldn’t the Chinooks be flown to Pakistan? The helicopters have a range of 460 miles and could have easily been flown to major airports in Islamabad, Pakistan or Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Dozens of small aircraft and a large transport plane can also be seen at the airport. There are also two Blackhawk helicopters, however they appear to have been heavily vandalized by US troops before they left.
The Taliban has now posted multiple videos on social media of Blackhawk helicopters. This includes two videos of a Blackhawk helicopter actually being flown over Kandahar. Dispelling claims that the helicopters were disabled, or that the Taliban would not be able to fly them.
The Taliban has also alleged that pilots from the US sponsored Afghan Air Force have defected.
#Taliban fighters enter a hangar in #Kabul Airport and examine #chinook helicopters after #US leaves #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/flJx0cLf0p
— Nabih (@nabihbulos) August 30, 2021
WATCH: Taliban reportedly flying American-made Black Hawk helicopter over Kandahar, Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/yNZPknlrZY
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 30, 2021
