Afghan assets and Taliban diplomacy

The Afghan Ministry of Defense (MoD) has asked Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to return the helicopters of the previous administration that were taken away following the fall of the republic. According to the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, the helicopters are the property of the Afghan people and they should be returned to the current government.

The helicopters scam was created by the previous Afghan government when more than 64 aircraft including cargo MI-17 and multiple role armed Black Hawk choppers along with A29 fighter jets and A12 fixed-wing aircraft were flown by the Afghan Air Force crew to neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan after the collapse of Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan to escape them from falling into Taliban hands. Presently, 46 aircraft are stationed in Uzbekistan and 18 are parked in Tajikistan. In October last year, the Taliban regime called on both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return Afghan military assets to Kabul, because they are property of the Afghan people. However, Uzbek authorities told the Taliban government that the air crafts are American property that was provided to the former Afghan government and the United States will decide about dealing with them. The same reply had been given to the Taliban government by the Tajik government.

The issue has erupted a controversy between the Afghan interim government and their two western neighbors, although the Taliban had threatened both countries with the worst consequences but this recipe did not work so far. According to experts, the no recognition of the Taliban government by the global community, registration, and documentation of aircrafts are those technical issues that restrict CAR nations to fulfil Kabul’s demands. On other hand, the Taliban are less likely to have the necessary documents which validate their claim besides the availability of skilled hands that fly and maintain those machines.

In fact, the global community has multiple reservations regarding the Taliban government, while a solo flight of Talibs further isolated the Emirate and created fiscal, economic, and diplomatic challenges for the Afghan people. Although each nation defends its interests, however, tact and tolerance are essential to survive in the world.