Threats from Afghan Border
John Kirby, the spokesman for the United States National Security Council, strongly refuted the suggestion that militants had acquired military equipment abandoned by American forces in Afghanistan, which subsequently led to security concerns in countries like Pakistan in the region. However, he stated that Washington would collaborate with Pakistan to address the threat emanating from the Afghanistan border.
During a briefing, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby discussed the goals and priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration at the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, as well as the U.S.-ASEAN and East Asia Summits. At one juncture, a Pakistani journalist asserted, “Groups like ISIS, al-Qaida, and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, among others, also came into possession of the military equipment, valued at approximately $7 billion, left by American forces.”
The US spokesman said the US govt is ready to work with Pakistan to curb threats from the Afghan border.
Upon hearing the journalist’s claim that militants had gained control of the military equipment left by American forces in Afghanistan, Kirby interrupted him.”Allow me to interrupt you right there.”He vehemently denied the notion that the US had abandoned military hardware in Afghanistan.”We did not leave any equipment behind. There was a small amount of equipment and some aircraft at the airport when we completed our evacuation efforts, but we rendered them all unusable before departing. In fact, the only items we left, which the Taliban could potentially use, were some airport maintenance capabilities, such as tow trucks, trucks with ladders, and similar equipment, along with a few firefighting resources.”
