U.S. Demilitarized equipment left at Kabul Airport

First off, I admit that our withdrawal from Kabul could have been better.

But one of the favorite talking points from rightists regarding all the military equipment left behind is incredibly lame. We ALWAYS leave old equipment behind because it costs far more to bring all that crap back. The Military has thousands of Soldiers whose jobs are to constantly maintain this old equipment while it is in use in whatever Country we are in at that time. Do rightists actually believe that the Taliban have experts there that can acquire the parts needed to repair old Humvees and rifles? Who in the Taliban is going to maintain all that equipment once it fails?

https://theweek.com/afghanistan-war...litarized-all-equipment-left-at-kabul-airport

 

Apparently not asking for Biden to be beheaded and have it on display in the Rose Garden means we are "defending" him. Who knew?

Anyway, many of the righties have already expressed glee about the suicide bombing and Biden's botched withdrawal. There is a thread about their bloodlust. It's not for the faint hearted though.

@Matthewthf explained that some of the weapons and equipment were left for the Afghani army and nobody expected them to capitulate so quickly after Trump reduced them to 2,500 and that last group had orders to plan to leave.

I don't understand how Trump is absolved of this. It's clearly his handiwork and just like he did on 1/6, he stands back and watches the destruction with glee. He's a malignant cancer.

Every president from W. to Biden had a hand in this mess.

 

It really doesn't matter who the POTUS is. The US Military will not waste money to bring old equipment back that is already a pain in the ass to maintain as it is. Leave that garbage behind. They will destroy and/or demilitarize the vehicles, aircraft that they feel they need to before they leave.

 

Oh, I agree with you. I guess I didn't make that clear. People like to complain and point fingers. It's a hobby for some of them.

 

And Trump wants the military to go back in and bring it back.

 

How can we miss him if he won't go away? Ugh. Just ugh.

 

I'm no military expert, but we seem to have a few here at PF. So I ask the question, sincerely - why did Trump set the date in 2021? Wouldn't he have been a shoe in for a second term if he'd set the pull out for a time before the election? Is there a reason for the timing?

 

300,000 guns that are better than AR-15's.

Yeah... right.

 

Yes.

Third point: http://www.politicalforum.com/index.php?threads/riding-any-wave-with-trump-why.591468/

 

so the 600 THOUSAND firearms left to them are inoperable? You dont think a global terror network can repair and maintain vehicles and aircraft or hire someone who can? C'mon man....

Desperate attempt at cleanup. When the military does not want gear falling into enemy hands, they destroy it.

Face the reality, the moron you folks voted for armed the Taliban better than small nations. His legacy.

 

But isn't that opinion? If not, I apologize. I have my own thoughts on it, but can't back them up with facts.

I thought it was odd that Obama couldn't nominate a SCOTUS judge, but Trump was able to sign a peace treaty and set guidelines for ending a war. I know, I know - lame duck versus ending first term POTUS. But still...

 

If I didn't know better I'd think that you regarded the equipment, weaponry, explosives and firearms we give our troops as junk.

I've got an old .45 acp pistol that works just fine and it was issued to some G.I. in WW 1.
At the same time, the Cubans don't seem to have any trouble keeping old American cars running that were made over 50 years ago.

I have a feeling that we're going to be seeing a lot of American made equipment wielded by the Taliban and their customers for quite some time.

Re:

Please remember that a lot of people have underestimated the resolve and resourcefulness of these same people who have humiliated the British Empire, the Russians and, now, the US.

 

He knew it was going to be messy so he passed the buck

 

That is my opinion. However, you probably shouldn't wait on "hearing the truth" about any of it. Their lawyers will write up some public statement and they will be questioned, but we will never hear the FULL TRUTH and, unfortunately, it seems most of our fellow citizens are okay with that.

It's a double standard. The main issue is that Trump went so far "off script" that we can't really gauge anything on that.

Trump is just a rich con man. He knows how to lie and he knows how to be just "careful" enough not to be incriminated but he does a LOT of dirty things. I believe he knew that he wouldn't be re-elected because of his COVID (non)response. He started planting those seeds as early as last Spring (before the election even happened). That's when he made this deal with the Taliban. Why? Why would he do that? We were always of the opinion that we do NOT negotiate with terrorists. He actually invited these people to our country at Camp David and only didn't do it because of the backlash. Repeat that...He invited terrorists to OUR COUNTRY.

He didn't cooperate with a peaceful transfer and forbade Biden to be included. He did nothing gentlemanly or professionally. He knew Biden would have to hit the ground running with the vaccines and economy from Day 1. So, he set a day in March but called back the bulk of our military presence there.

Why?
Why would he remove over 13,000 troops AND release 5,000 criminals?
How could this situation NOT happen in that equation?

We have the best military in the entire world. NOBODY at the top knew the Afghani Army would capitulate 2 seconds after we left?

That doesn't make sense. What are we paying these people for if not their military experience and intelligence?

Some are claiming Biden moved the date for a photo op on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

Why?

Why is there $83 billion dollars of our equipment there? It might be in disrepair as @DarthG stated or we might have left it for use by the Afghani Army like @Matthewthf said. Regardless, it's in the hands of the Taliban now.

This has Trump's fingerprints all over it and, if this isn't bad enough, he has sent out a memo that Biden is letting in terrorists so racist people (not anybody on PF, of course) are having fits over that and seem to have no understanding that these people are considered traitors in their home country because they helped our side.

And, Trump just stands by with a gasoline can and a lighter ready to stoke another fire. He's a malignant cancer and chemo won't help. He's a traitor and anti-American. He is the sucker and loser because the ONLY reason he has any money is because of Daddy Warbucks and he's a 70-something petulant child that can't accept he's a loser.

He's nothing but a con man.

Who takes money from charity?
Who takes money from a fake school?
Who steals money from his own donors' bank accounts?
Who steals money from his contractors?
Who steals money from his inauguration fund?

Trump does. That's all he does. He's absolutely WORTHLESS and there is blood on his hands.

 

Where is the Taliban going to get the parts for these guns when they start failing? Who in the Taliban is going to maintain all those guns?

 

Pssssst. The Military destroyed and demilitarized the equipment they didn't want the Taliban to operate. The rest they can have and fix themselves when they start failing.

You seem to have a very poor opinion of our Military.

 

I don't really understand why we keep underestimating them. I mean, we have the best military in the world and nobody up top knew the Afghani Army would capitulate 2 seconds after Trump pulled the bulk of our guys out? I'm not a criminal or terrorist but I think I would learn to how to do stuff like that. They have to have some kind of leverage over the innocent civilians and government or they couldn't have swooped in like this - and so easily.

Now, I'm totally confused. The way that sounds is that our military expected the Taliban to seize the equipment from the Afghani Army.

How were they able to topple this government so quickly? I know Trump gave them heads-up on our departure but still. Wouldn't our military and theirs use that time to also prepare for them?

 

This is equipment abandoned by the Afghan army and donated by the US army.

 

Our Military is not in the business of spending countless millions on hauling back equipment decades old that will fail sooner rather than then later.

 

Exactly. Our Military already destroyed and demilitarized the equipment they didn't want the Taliban to be able to operate. All the other equipment is meaningless.

 

I understand that. That doesn't make sense financially. It also makes sense for them to demilitarize it. I wholeheartedly agree with you.

 

Of course, that makes perfect sense.

 

So they say, and of course, the Biden administration would never lie or exaggerate, would they?

 

I sourced my information. Other than your feeeeeeelings, do you have a source to prove our Military is lying?

 

Trump doesn't care about that equipment. He wants it brought back because some conservatives are complaining that Biden left it there for the Taliban (overlooking the fact that Trump ordered those troops home and to leave the equipment there).

So, he gets to swoop in and play "hero" to all his adoring fans.

I do NOT believe that all Trump supporters are lunatics. There are some sane ones. However, the rabid ones that excuse or rationalize everything he does are the loudest.

Honestly, after January 6, 2021, I don't understand why anybody would stand up in his defense. I don't agree with people breaking the law but every Trump supporter that breached the Capitol that day did it for their president. Right, wrong or indifferent, they were there on his behalf and he's ignored them completely. Some of them are still in prison. Some have been sentenced. It doesn't matter to him not one single bit. Why would somebody be loyal to someone that is incapable of reciprocation? It makes no sense.

What are we going to do with all this old equipment? Nothing. Crunch some numbers on depreciation and be done with it.

Anything beyond that is him grandstanding as the "Great Hope for the 'True' Americans." (while kissing up to Xi, Putin and NK guy). Ugh. He's long past his 15 minutes. Go away already.