National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby vehemently denied allegations that the U.S. deliberately left weapons in Afghanistan during the botched withdrawal of American troops, characterizing such claims as “fallacies” and “farces.”
Kirby claimed that over 20 years, the U.S. government, with congressional approval, armed and equipped the Afghan National Security Forces. He noted that as the Taliban advanced, many Afghan forces chose not to fight, abandoning their arms. Kirby claimed that these weapons belonged to the Afghan forces, not directly left by the U.S.
“Let me remind you — please, take the opportunity to remind you: We didn’t just leave a bunch of weapons in Afghanistan. This is a fallacy. This is a farce.”
“What we did over the course of our 20 years in Afghanistan — of course, with congressional approval and consultations — was armed and helped equip the Afghan National Security Forces.”
“Now — and as we have said time and time again, that as the Taliban made advances, those Afghan National Security Forces, many of them decided not to fight but yet to lay down their arms and leave. But the — the arms that you’re talking about — and, again, I can’t verify these specific reports — belong to the Afghan National Security Forces,” he claimed.
“That what wa- — what was — that’s what was left behind — not that the United States just walked away and abandoned a bunch of weapons in a pile in Afghanistan. That’s just not — simply not historically accurate,” he added.
WATCH:
A recently retired U.S. Army soldier from the 82nd Airborne Division, Brock Michael, provided a conflicting account. Michael, who served four years of active duty, expressed frustration in a now-deleted video during his gear turn-in. He was charged $3,561 for equipment ordered to be abandoned during the withdrawal.
“I want to holler, I want to scream, I want to yell, but it won’t do any good. Today is gear turn-in day for me. Turn in all the gear that I’ve collected over the last four years of being active duty with the army, with the 82nd Airborne Division,” Michael stated in his video. “Two years ago, my unit deployed to Afghanistan for the Afghanistan withdrawal. We spent a few weeks over there. It was hectic, it was chaotic, it was disgusting, and it made me very disappointed in our government.”
“Today, I’m reminded of how disappointed I am in our government. Go to turn in my gear. They want to charge me $500 to $1,000 for gear that I was ordered to leave in Afghanistan two years ago. Because, as the last two birds were sitting on the tarmac ready to leave, there wasn’t any room for extra gear, extra weight. Therefore, we were told to leave it. Some lower enlisted dudes, including myself, were like, ‘No, this stuff is expensive. I’m not leaving this. I’m going to get charged for this,’” Michael said.
“When it comes time to leave, don’t worry; we’re going to catch you on the back end,” Michael recalled being told.
