Thanks to US abandoning weapons in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters now better armed than Ukrainian Army – Russia’s defense minister

Russia’s defense minister has claimed that the US left behind more than 100 Javelin portable anti-tank missile systems in Afghanistan. Sergey Shoigu now believes that the militant group is better equipped than the Ukrainian Army.

He told the YouTube channel Solovyov Live that the terrorists’ considerable cache of weapons, and vehicles, is a massive risk for Afghanistan.

“Javelins are supplied to Ukraine from the United States,” Shoigu said. “I don’t remember how many, a few dozen, or so.”

This means that the Taliban now has more of them than the Ukrainian Army.

The Javelin is a portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile that uses automatic infrared guidance. It has been used extensively in the war in Afghanistan, as well as in Iran, Syria, and Libya.

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According to Shoigu, the large number of weapons now in the possession of the Taliban is a huge threat.

As well as Javelins, the militant group now has access to Black Hawk helicopters, Hercules planes, and thousands of Humvees, amongst other vehicles. They also have thousands of guns and a whole host of other firearms.

Video reportingly shows #Taliban captured Kunduz airport with #Afghanistan Air Force Mi-35 Hind attack helicopter pic.twitter.com/u7jZJdR800

— Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) August 11, 2021

Last week, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby admitted that the US administration has no idea of the inventory taken by the Taliban.

“Obviously, we don’t want to see any weapons or systems fall into the hands of people that would use them in such a way to harm our interests or those of our partners and allies,” he said.

The US has provided at least $1.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine since 2014, providing weapons, vehicles, and other technological support. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced an extra boost worth $125 million, including two patrol boats.

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