Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, a prominent ethnic Uzbek opposition leader in Afghanistan, called on the Tajik and Uzbek authorities to hand over planes and helicopters to the former Afghan army and the National Resistance Front (FNS) forces opposing the Taliban, TASS reported, citing the Khaama Press agency.
Former Afghan Vice President Dostum spoke about it at a ceremony in London marking the death of a FNS commander in the northern province of Baghlan, the agency said.
About 40 military helicopters belonging to the former armed forces of Afghanistan were once transferred to the territory of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. in 2021.
Marshal Dostum also called on Afghan opposition forces to unite, as he believes the Taliban regime will not last long.
In January 2022, which seized power in Afghanistan after the hasty departure of the anti-terrorist coalition of Western countries led by the United States, the radical Taliban movement demanded that Tajikistan and Uzbekistan return planes and helicopters, which, according to the radicals, were hijacked to these Central Asian republics.
These are helicopters and military aircraft that were flown from Afghanistan to neighboring countries by some Afghan military pilots after the Taliban captured Kabul in 2021.
They are among 150 military helicopters donated by the US Air Force to the former government of Afghanistan.
As Politico wrote earlier, in 2021, Afghan Air Force pilots managed to overtake about 25% of all serviceable air military equipment to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, including several UH-60 Black Hawk, Mi-17, Mi-25 helicopters, as well as light turboprops. attack aircraft A-29, turboprop general purpose aircraft C-208.
The Taliban have repeatedly demanded that Tajikistan and Uzbekistan return the helicopters - a dispute over aviation between the Taliban government and neighboring countries began a few days after they came to power in Kabul.
The fact that Afghan helicopters will remain in Tajikistan was announced following the visit of the Commander of the US Central Command, General Michael Kurill, to Tajikistan in June 2022.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 13, 2023