Taliban Parades US Military Gear in Celebration of Afghanistan Withdrawal Anniversary

Taliban fighters on Wednesday paraded captured U.S. military vehicles and weaponry in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from the country.

At the Bagram air base, where a year earlier Afghan civilians died falling from U.S. military planes evacuating Kabul, the Taliban displayed a show of force, marching infantry and parading dozens of U.S. aircraft and vehicles.

The Taliban’s victory celebration comes a year to the date after President Joe Biden called his administration’s withdrawal a “success” and a “wise decision.”

Footage of the parade broadcast by Taliban media shows the jihadist force piloting American Black Hawk helicopters and driving Humvees and armored personnel carriers.

Some screens from military parade of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) celebrate first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-coalition from Afghanistan on August 31 2022.
MD-530F and UH-60A helicopters pic.twitter.com/EchGSsU0Yp

— Yuri Lyamin (@imp_navigator) August 31, 2022

At a ceremony at the air base, Taliban prime minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund commemorated the fighters who lost their lives to achieve “victory” over American forces and praised the “ideals of jihad,” Afghanistan International reported.

Representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, and Turkey took part in the ceremony, the Taliban’s Bakhtar News Agency reported.

The Taliban also paraded in front of the former U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. On Tuesday night, the regime marked the anniversary of the departure of U.S. troops with fireworks and dancing.

The Taliban captured billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment amid the United States’ chaotic withdrawal last year, which it has since used to arm its forces.

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