During a recent Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump expressed his desire to retrieve the billions of dollars' worth of equipment that U.S. troops left behind in Afghanistan following the 2021 withdrawal. Trump highlighted the significant amount of brand new trucks and other top-of-the-line military equipment that was abandoned in the country.
According to a Department of Defense report released in 2022, the Taliban seized most of the more than $7 billion worth of equipment left by U.S. forces during the withdrawal. While some major equipment was removed or destroyed, various military assets such as aircraft, ground vehicles, and weapons were left behind, raising concerns about their operational status without proper maintenance.
