Taliban unhappy with Uzbekistan's return of 7 helicopters to US

Uzbekistan has returned some of the helicopters taken by Afghan pilots to the United States. The Taliban-controlled Ministry of Defense has expressed its displeasure with this move.

The ministry reiterated that the helicopters are Afghan property and must be returned.

“The Islamic Emirate is concerned about this issue, because these helicopters belong to Afghanistan and were taken to Uzbekistan when the former government officials fled, and therefore they must be returned to Afghanistan.

The transfer of these helicopters to the United States for any reason is unacceptable for us, because the Afghan people have the right to defend and demand their rights, and neighboring countries must also respect the rights of Afghans,” the statement said.

The Taliban has asked the US to help return the helicopters to Afghanistan instead of creating obstacles.

When the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, Afghan soldiers flew planes and helicopters to Surkhandarya. These helicopters were originally purchased with US government money and handed over to the former Afghan government for temporary use. 22 Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano and Pilatus PC-12 military aircraft and 24 UH-60 Black Hawk, MD-530 and Mi-17 helicopters were transported to Uzbekistan.

However, the Taliban has been demanding their return, saying that the equipment belongs to the Afghan people. In 2024, the US decided to leave more than 40 planes and helicopters in Uzbekistan. The Taliban, dissatisfied with this, called on Uzbekistan to return them, saying that the US “has no right to confiscate” the property of the Afghan people.

Pentagon officials attending an event at the Uzbek Embassy in Washington in 2025 announced that some of the helicopters had been returned. The report noted that seven Black Hawk helicopters, which were deemed serviceable, had been returned to the United States. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”