Taliban parades American weapons left behind after Afghanistan withdrawal

Taliban members marched through a former U.S. air base on Wednesday carrying abandoned American weapons and vehicles to mark the third anniversary of the chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Bagram Airfield was once the epicenter of America’s war to defeat the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaida militants responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Uniformed soldiers marched with light and heavy machine guns, motorbike columns waving Taliban flags, and pickup trucks loaded with men of all ages drove through the streets of Kabul celebrating the seizure of power.

Members of the Taliban’s cabinet hailed achievements such as strengthening Islamic law and establishing a military system that they said had brought “peace and security.”

“This is an attempt by the Taliban to demonstrate victory over us,” U.S. Army veteran Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital.

Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of its Long War Journal, said the parade was evidence of U.S. failure in Afghanistan.

“The Biden administration’s move to withdraw quickly from Afghanistan has resulted in the Taliban retaining U.S.-supplied weapons,” Roggio said.

‘Path to Justice’: Durbin urges Governor Austin to reconsider reversing plea deals for 9/11 plotters

President Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan drew widespread backlash from around the world after Taliban militants recaptured the country within days, two decades after being ousted by U.S.-led forces on August 15, 2021. Just a month earlier, Biden had told Americans that the chances of the Taliban retaking Afghanistan were “highly unlikely.”

The troop withdrawal, which required thousands of additional U.S. troops on the ground and significant cooperation from the Taliban to complete, ended one day before the Aug. 30, 2021 deadline, leaving hundreds of Americans and thousands of Afghan allies behind despite President Biden’s promise of an “everyone out.”

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bomber killed 183 people, including 13 U.S. soldiers, during a mass evacuation of U.S. troops at Kabul airport. In retaliation, the U.S. conducted two drone strikes against suspected ISIS-K terrorists, one of which killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children.

The Taliban’s speech was addressed to the international community, urging Western countries to engage and cooperate with Afghanistan’s rulers. Currently, no country recognises the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters celebrate the third anniversary of the U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Associated Press/Siddiqullah Alizai) (AP Photo/Sidiqullah Alizai)

“The Islamic Emirate has resolved internal discord and expanded the scope of unity and cooperation in the country,” Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir said on Wednesday, using the term the Taliban use to call the government. “No one will be allowed to interfere in our internal affairs and Afghan territory will not be used against any country.”

Roggio dismissed this last claim as absurd, noting that the Taliban have consistently lied about not allowing their territory to be used for terrorist activities against other countries.

“They lied before 9/11. They lied while the U.S. was in Afghanistan. They protected and still support al-Qaida and other groups,” Roggio said.

Rocket attacks begin on US military base in Syria

“What I believe about them is that they want to maintain control in Afghanistan, enforce their will and impose Sharia law on the people,” he said. “You can’t doubt them on that.”

Roggio said Wednesday’s Taliban parade was mainly for show but was still a display of the terror group’s capabilities.

“I don’t believe the Taliban are a threat outside Afghanistan’s borders, but this equipment certainly helps them to project and maintain power inside Afghanistan,” he said.

Taliban members sit in a military vehicle during a Taliban military parade in Kabul, Afghanistan, November 2021. (Reuters/Ali Kara)

Despite the Taliban’s show of capabilities on Wednesday, there was no mention of any plans to improve the lives of Afghan people. Decades of conflict and instability have left millions of Afghans on the brink of hunger and starvation. Unemployment is high and women are barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade.

The parade in Bagram was the largest and most defiant since the Taliban recaptured the country in August 2021.

Click here to get the FOX News app

The crowd of about 10,000 included senior Taliban officials, including Acting Defense Minister Yaqub and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani. Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada did not attend the parade.