The Taliban show off dozens of US-made armoured vehicles and weaponry during victory parades which even feature helicopter air displays
- Events on Wednesday marked a celebration of the U.S. withdrawal from and Taliban recapture of Afghanistan
- At a Kandahar parade, a Black Hawk helicopter trailing the Taliban flag was seen flying above crowds
- A long line of green Humvees and other armoured vehicles were driven in single file by armed Taliban fighters
- Parades came just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden defended the withdrawal of troops from the country The Taliban showed off dozens of US-made armoured vehicles and weaponry during victory parades today.
One event, in the southern city of Kandahar, even featured a fly-past from a Black Hawk helicopter flying the flag of the Taliban.
The parades of the hardware, captured from Afghan forces during the group's takeover of Afghanistan, were held just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden defended his decision to end two decades of American presence in the country.
The Islamist hardliners are celebrating Monday's final withdrawal of U.S. troops as an historic victory after taking control of all but one of the country's 34 provinces in an astonishing two-week offensive.
On Wednesday, a long line of green Humvees and armoured fighting vehicles drove in single file along a highway outside Kandahar - the spiritual birthplace of the militant movement. Many of the vehicles had the white and black Taliban flag attached to them.
Footage posted on social media showed a helicopter flying overhead trailing the Taliban's standard behind it as fighters waved from below.
At least one Black Hawk helicopter has been seen flying over Kandahar in recent days, suggesting that someone from the former Afghan army was at the controls as the Taliban lack pilots.
The Taliban showed off dozens of US-made armoured vehicles and weaponry during victory parades today
One event, in the southern city of Kandahar, even featured a fly-past from a Black Hawk helicopter (pictured) flying the flag of the Taliban
The parades of the hardware, captured during the group's takeover of Afghanistan, were held just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden defended his decision to end two decades of American presence in the country
A Taliban fighter is seen standing next to what appears to be a damaged US-made Black Hawk helicopter in an image shared on social media
Pictured: Supposed Taliban supporters gather to watch a parade in Kandahar on Wednesday
As the Taliban celebrated on Wednesday, Afghans and the international community awaited details of the group's plans for governing with concern
Pictures: Taliban soldiers grin as they celebrate recapturing Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops
A US-made Black Hawk helicopter was seen flying over the parade in Kandahar on Wednesday. It's suspected that a former Afghan military member may have been flying it as the Taliban lack pilots
The United Nations warned meanwhile of a looming 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Afghanistan, underscoring the daunting challenges that the Taliban face as they transform from insurgent group to governing power.
Biden was nonetheless defiant in his speech.
'This is the right decision. A wise decision. And the best decision for America,' he said in an address to the nation.
For the United States, Biden argued, the only choice was 'leaving or escalating'.
The president, who has been savaged by critics for his handling of the withdrawal which saw the US and its allies evacuate more than 122,000 in just over two weeks, hailed the operation as an 'extraordinary success'.
'No nation has ever done anything like it in all of history; only the United States had the capacity and the will and ability to do it,' he said.
All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handle their first few days with sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether they will allow free departure for those wanting to leave - including some foreigners.
The United States has said that 'under 200' of its citizens remain in the country, and Britain said the number of UK nationals inside was in the 'low hundreds'.
The United States has said that 'under 200' of its citizens remain in the country, and Britain said the number of UK nationals inside was in the 'low hundreds'
The Islamist hardliners are celebrating Monday's final withdrawal of U.S. troops as an historic victory after taking control of all but one of the country's 34 provinces in an astonishing two-week offensive
Traffic police escort Taliban forces as they celebrate the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Kandahar on Wednesday
Pictured: Taliban forces rally to celebrate the withdrawal of U.S., which President Joe Biden defended just hours before
Pictured: Supposed Taliban supporters watch a parade in Kandahar on Wednesday
All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handle their first few days with sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether they will allow free departure for those wanting to leave - including some foreigners
Supposed supporters of the Taliban take to the streets of Kandahar on Tuesday to celebrate the U.S. withdrawal
Pictured: Taliban fighters ride atop armoured vehicles as they parade in single file outside the city of Kandahar - the spiritual birthplace of the militant movement
Haji Mohammad Yousaf, the Taliban's governor for Kandahar province, addresses the crowd during a ceremony on Wednesday
Thousands of Afghans who worked with the US-backed government over the years and fear retribution still want to get out.
Talks are ongoing on who will now run Kabul airport, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned was of 'existential importance' as a lifeline for aid.
A Qatar Airways flight landed in Kabul on Wednesday afternoon - the first since the United States departed - bringing a team of technical experts to work on fixing the trashed airport, a source close to the matter told AFP news agency.
The goal was to resume flights for both humanitarian aid and to provide freedom of movement for those wanting to leave.
Many Afghans are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban's initial rule from 1996 to 2001, which was infamous for their treatment of women and girls, as well as a brutal justice system.
The group has repeatedly promised a more tolerant brand of governance compared with their first stint in power.
Still, senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told BBC Pashto in an interview that while women could continue working, there 'may not' be a place for them in the cabinet of any future government or any other top post.
Taliban fighters remained heavily armed at the celebration in Kandahar, which took place almost a week after twin bomb attacks killed more than 180 people at Kabul airport
A long line of green Humvees and armoured fighting vehicles drove in single file along a highway outside Kandahar - the spiritual birthplace of the militant movement
Footage shared on social media showed the Taliban rolling through the streets in heavily armoured vehicles and engaging with citizens
. Many of the captured vehicles on parade had the white and black Taliban flag attached to them
Taliban fighters in cars and motocycles took place in a smaller-scale parade in Kandahar on Tuesday
Authorities from several countries have already begun meeting with Taliban leadership, the latest being India
Children shout slogans and wave flags during a pro-Taliban demonstration in Kandahar on Tuesday
UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed his 'grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country', adding that basic services were at threat of collapsing 'completely'.
He pleaded for financial support from the international community for the war-ravaged country, which is dependent on foreign aid.
Authorities from several countries have already begun meeting with Taliban leadership, the latest being India.
Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, urged the Taliban to combat terrorism and called for an inclusive government.
Crowds gather in Kandahar on Wednesday to hear a speech from the local Taliban official. The city is the spiritual birthplace of the movemeny
A heavily armed Taliban fighter waves to a photographer as he takes part in a parade in Kandahar on Wednesday
The Taliban are still in the process of firming up its governing plans, which it says will be guided by the principles of Sharia Law. Pictured: A Taliban fighter
Thousands of Afghans who worked with the US-backed government over the years and fear retribution still want to get out of the country but there is uncertainty as to whether the Taliban will allow this. The group says it willThe US-led airlift began as the Taliban completed an astonishing rout of government forces around the country and took over the capital on August 15.
The withdrawal came just before the August 31 deadline set by Biden to end the war, which began with a US-led invasion that ousted the Taliban in the wake of 9/11, but later reached a stalemate on the battlefield with the resurgent militants.
The conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 2,400 American service members.
The evacuation was complicated by a threat from the regional offshoot of the Islamic State group, rivals of the Taliban.
Thirteen US troops were among more than 100 people killed when an IS suicide bomber attacked the perimeter of the airport, where desperate Afghans had massed in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight.
Thank you, America: Taliban now has up to 48 aircraft including US-supplied Black Hawks and A-29 attack planes after Afghan army's collapse left them with more air power than many NATO nations
ByRoss Ibbetson For Mailonline
The Taliban have seized an air force worth tens of millions of pounds, including US-bought helicopters and attack planes, giving them more aerial firepower than many Nato members.
Over the last few months, the jihadists have captured 10 major airfields from Bagram to Mazar-i-Sharif, and today took to the skies in a $6 million Black Hawk helicopter in their fight against the resistance in the Panjshir Valley.
Taliban chiefs are reported to have ordered their troops to hunt down pilots from the disbanded Afghan Air Force, who received expensive training from the US and its allies to fly high-tech warplanes and choppers.
Without those pilots, flying such sophisticated aircraft is near-impossible for an amateur - but several videos of airborne terrorists suggest they must have recruited some renegade wingmen.
Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul was seized on Tuesday by triumphant jihadists who were seen clambering into the cockpit of a $14 million Hercules transport jet - albeit clearly tilting over, suggesting its wheels were bust.
The Afghan Air Force was operating 167 aircraft, including 108 helicopters and 59 planes, according to an official U.S. government inspection on June 30.
Before Kabul fell, Uzbekistan confirmed that 46 Afghan aircraft, including 24 helicopters, had arrived in the country in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Taliban.
The commander of the US evacuation mission, Gen. Frank McKenzie, said American troops disabled 73 aircraft before finally leaving the country on Monday night.
Photos showed propellers and guns removed from planes and helicopters, while other aircraft lay with their fuselages directly on the tarmac, having had their wheels stripped away rendering them inoperable.
That leaves as many as 48 aircraft seized by the Taliban, although it is unclear what the breakdown is in terms of planes and helicopters, or what condition these aircraft might be in. Many were built in the 1980s and will need constant servicing and parts to make sure they are airworthy, let alone capable of combat.
Nevertheless, if the Islamists have that many operational aircraft, it gives them more air power than 10 of the 30 Nato members, namely: Albania, Bosnia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Slovenia.
The Taliban are believed to have got hold of as many as 48 aircraft which the US and its allies were either unable to disable or fly overseas. This means that the terrorists have an air force which is greater in number than that of 10 Nato countries
A US-made $6 million UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is seen flying over a convoy of Taliban fighters on its way to join the fight against the resistance in the Panjshir Valley on Wednesday
A Taliban fighter poses in the cockpit of a C-130 Hercules transport plane that was left behind during the evacuation
An A-29 attack plane is surrounded by kit left behind by western forces as they retreated from Kabul airport
A-29 attack planes which appear largely intact are seen alongside a huge amount of western body armour and tactical helmets left behind by retreating troopsAt the top of the Nato tree is the United States with more than 13,000 aircraft, followed by France with 1,057, Turkey with 1,056, Italy with 876 and the United Kingdom with 738.
It is unclear how many former pilots the Taliban have been able to recruit, however, a video which emerged on social media this month showed a group of militants flying in a Russian-made Mi-17 chopper.
Another today, showed a Black Hawk heading to the contested Panjshir Valley north of Kabul where the country's last stand is being fought by the Northern Alliance resistance fighters.
Aviation sources say it is unlikely that an amateur would be able to get such a helicopter off the ground, let alone be able to land it.
In addition, these aircraft - many of them dating back to the 1980s - will need expert mechanical care and new parts to keep them airborne.
And even then, the Taliban will need to provide funds to arm the aircraft, with the cost of bullets aside, the price of precision-guided missiles becomes exorbitant - particularly for a ragtag government without the means to feed its starving populace.
According to the June 30 tally by the US-based Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar), the Afghan Air Force had 43 MD-530 helicopters, 33 Black Hawks, 32 Mi-17s, 33 C-208 propeller planes, 23 A-19 turboprop light attack planes and 3 Hercules C-130s.
Taliban fighters driving in US-made armoured cars through the streets of Kandahar, the terror group's de-facto capital
Footage uploaded to social media shows Taliban fighters driving armored vehicles through Kandahar after vanquishing the US-backed Afghan National Army
Soviet-era tanks are filmed by advancing Taliban fighters. The Russians fought in Afghanistan in the 1980s and also left behind some of their hardware
A Taliban fighter filmed an array of Soviet-era tanks. It's unclear what military worth, if any, the vehicles still haveAlthough many of the planes were flown away before the runways were seized, satellite imagery revealed that not all of them made it.
Analysis of satellite images commissioned by the BBC revealed that six days after Kandahar airport was captured by the Taliban, there were five aircraft - at least two MI-17s choppers, two Black Hawks and a third unidentified helicopter.
Around a month before the airbase was seized, there were 16 aircraft spotted - including nine Black Hawks, two MI-17s and five fixed-wing planes.
The aircraft were either flown to other runways in the country or shifted overseas.
A-29 light attack plane
A-29 attack plane
Manufacturer: Embraer (Brazil)
First flight: 1999
Role: Low-cost attack plane armed with precision guided missiles for low-threat environments.
Crew: 2
Length: 37 ft 4 in
Wingspan: 36ft 7in
Max takeoff weight: 11,905 lb
Max speed: 370 mph
Range: 1,744 miles
Service ceiling: 35,000ft
Armament: Guns: Internal 12.7mm machine guns, wing-mounted machine guns.
Rockets: Air-to-air missiles (Sidewinder, Piranha, Python), air-to-ground missiles (AGM-65 Maverick, Roketsan Cirit).
Bombs: Incendiary (BINC-300), cluster (BLG-252) and precision guided bombs (Lizard, Griffin, Paveway II).
C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin (USA)
First flight: 1954
Role: Originally designed for troop, medevac and cargo transport. Other roles as a gunship (AC-130) for air assaults, search and rescue, reconnaissance and aerial refueling have been utilised.
Crew: 5
Length: 97 ft 9 in
Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in
Height 38 ft
Max takeoff weight: 75,800lb
Max speed: 370 mph
Range: 2,360 miles
Maximum altitude: 40,000ft
Armament: The AC-130 gunship variants can be armed with miniguns, rotary cannons, howitzers, missiles and bombs.
Mi-17 helicopter
Mi-17 helicopter
Manufacturer: Soviet Union (Russia)
First flight: 1975
Role: Transport helicopter, with gunship capabilities.
Crew: 2 pilots, 1 engineer
Length: 60 ft 7in
Height: 18 ft 6 in
Max takeoff weight: 28,660 lb
Max speed: 170 mph
Range: 500 miles
Service ceiling: 20,000 ft
Armament:
Rockets: S-8 high explosive fragmentation rockets; Ataka anti-tank guided missiles.
Guns: UPK-23-250 23mm autocannon
C-208 plane
C-208 Cessna
Manufacturer: Cessna (USA)
First flight: 1982
Role: Transport aircraft, widely used by civilians and also as serves a military transport role.
Crew: One or two
Length: 37 ft 7 in
Wingspan: 52 ft 1 in
Maximum landing weight: 7,800 lb
Max speed: 186 kn (214 mph)
Range: 1,232 miles
Service ceiling: 25,000ft
Armaments: N/A
MD-540 helicopter
MD-540 helicopter
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas (USA)
First flight: 1976
Role: Light multifunctional chopper, can be armed with missiles, ideal for scouting missions.
Crew: 2
Length: 30 ft 9 in
Height: 8ft 8.5 in
Max takeoff weight: 2,550 lb
Max speed: 132 knots (152 mph)
Range: 366 miles
Hover ceiling: 8,200 ft
Armament: Four TOW anti-tank missiles OR
Two 7.62mm miniguns OR
Four Stinger air-to-air missiles OR
Mk44/Mk46 torpedoes OR
two seven-shot rocked pods
UH-60 Black Hawk
UH-60 Black Hawk
Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft (USA)
First flight: 1974
Role: Primarily a tactical transport helicopter, later iterations have been more combat oriented.
Crew: 2 pilots and 2 gunners
Length: 64ft 10 in
Height: 16ft 10 in
Max takeoff weight: 22,000 lb
Max speed: 159 knots (183 mph)
Range: 1,380 miles (with extra fuel tanks)
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft
Armament:
Guns: 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240 machine guns OR 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M134 minigun.
Rockets: Unguided (Hydra 70); laser guided (Hellfire and Stinger).
Bombs: Can be equipped with VOLCANO mine clearers.
A Taliban fighter walks past an aircraft and an assortment of other military and civilian vehicles at the airport in Kabul
A Taliban fighter takes a picture of a damaged MD 530 helicopter that was abandoned at Kabul airport by retreating troops
A Russian Mi-17 helicopter is pictured alongside Taliban fighters after it was seized from retreating western troops
A transport plane with the propeller removed is examined by Islamist fighters at Kabul airport this morning
Planes, helicopters and vehicles left behind by western forces have now fallen into the hands of the Taliban
An aerial picture of Uzbekistan's Termez airport taken on August 16 shows that there were more than 24 helicopters, including MI-17, MI-25, Black Hawks and also several A-29 light-attack and C-208 planes.
The Uzbek government has since confirmed that 46 Afghan aircraft did land in the central Asian country.
They quickly realised that they would need pilots to fly the high tech vehicles and set about actively recruiting from members of the Afghan Air Force, who received top training by the US and its allies.
Before leaving late Monday night, the US military disabled scores of aircraft and armoured vehicles as well as a high-tech rocket defence system, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said.
A total of 73 aircraft at at Hamid Karzai International Airport were 'demilitarised', or rendered useless.
'Those aircraft will never fly again... They'll never be able to be operated by anyone,' he said. 'Most of them are non-mission capable, to begin with. But certainly, they'll never be able to be flown again.'
Two weeks ago on August 14 when the US started airlifting troops and civilians from Kabul airport, Pentagon built up a force of nearly 6,000 troops, along with 600 British soldiers, to occupy and operate the airport.
Britain and America officially ended their military presence in Afghanistan late Monday night with the final US troops flying out from Kabul's airport. Pictured: Taliban fighters from the Fateh Zwak unit, wielding American supplied weapons, equipment and uniforms, storm into the Kabul International Airport
A helicopter at Kabul airport with its guns stripped away
Helicopters at Kabul airport after being disabled by the retreating US forces
Taliban posing with a Brazilian-made Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano light attack plane at seized Mazer-i-Sharif airport earlier this month
Taliban fighters with a seized Hughes OH-6 Cayuse 'Loach' helicopter at Mazer-i-Sharif airport. The Loach was introduced into the US Army in the late 1960s
Once the evacuation process ended, around 70 MRAP armoured tactical vehicles, which can cost up to $1m a piece, were disabled before leaving, along with 27 Humvees. 'The vehicles will never be used again by anyone,' he said.
The US also left behind the C-RAM system -- counter rocket, artillery, and mortar -- that was used to protect the airport from rocket attacks.
The system helped fend off a five-rocket barrage from the Islamic State on Monday.
'We elected to keep those systems in operation up until the very last minute,' before the last US aircraft left, McKenzie said.
'It's a complex procedure and time-intensive procedure to break down those systems. So we demilitarize those systems so that they'll never be used again.'
Elsewhere in the passenger terminal of the airport, there appeared wanton destruction, with offices trashed and seating destroyed, but it was not clear whether that damage predated the arrival of the US and British troops.
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