Uzbekistan and the United States have agreed on the official transfer to Tashkent of planes and helicopters used by Afghan pilots to flee to neighboring countries after the Taliban came to power. This was recently announced by U.S. Ambassador to Tashkent Jonathan Henick, according to Uzbek media reports.
Meanwhile, 18 pieces of aviation equipment stolen from Afghanistan are awaiting their fate in Tajikistan, where Afghan pilots also fled after the Taliban took power. This equipment is still stationed at airfields in the country, reports Asiaplus.tj. At least, there has been no information about their transfer to third countries.
The Taliban government has repeatedly demanded that Tajikistan return these helicopters and planes, claiming they belong to the Afghan people. However, U.S. officials and former U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Mark Pomersheim have stated that the U.S. does not plan to hand over this equipment to the Taliban because it does not belong to them.
After Afghanistan's acting Defense Minister Muhammad Yaqoob demanded that Tajikistan and Uzbekistan hand over the helicopters and planes to the Taliban government, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby urged both countries not to return the equipment.
At the same time, a U.S. Department of Defense representative noted that discussions are still ongoing about what will ultimately be done with this fleet and where the planes and helicopters will go. U.S. Central Command General Michael Kurilla mentioned the same to Tajik journalists.
Later, Politico reported that the U.S. is considering the possibility of transferring military planes and helicopters to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in exchange for assistance in combating terrorists in Afghanistan.
In turn, the leader of the "National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan," Abdul Rashid Dostum, urged Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to transfer the planes and helicopters of the former Afghan army to the National Resistance Front (NRF) forces opposing the Taliban.
To date, it is unknown what decision the U.S. has made regarding the planes and helicopters that arrived in Tajikistan.
Tajik authorities have confirmed the arrival of Afghan military personnel and pilots, but they have never provided official information about the helicopters and planes.
In November 2021, more than 140 Afghan pilots who fled their homeland were sent from Dushanbe to Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 29, 2024