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FACT BRIEF

Do Taliban fighters now possess US military equipment worth more than $80 billion?

By Ali Swenson
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NO

The Taliban have seized significant U.S.-supplied firepower in their takeover of Afghanistan, recovering guns, ammunition, helicopters and other equipment from Afghan forces.

But the gear isn’t worth the $80 billion or more that social media users and political figures claim.

The U.S. spent $83 billion to develop and sustain Afghan security forces since 2001, but that also includes troop pay, training, operations, infrastructure and transportation, according to reports from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Only about $18 billion went toward equipping Afghan forces between 2002 and 2018, a 2019 SIGAR report showed.

Furthermore, the Taliban cannot access every piece of American equipment supplied to Afghanistan. American troops have previously scrapped gear and recently disabled Humvees and aircraft so they couldn't be used again, according to Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command.  

See a full discussion of this at The Associated Press
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Divided Responsibility: Lessons from US Security Sector Assistance Efforts in Afghanistan
AP News As US military leaves Kabul, many Americans, Afghans remain
AP News US trashes unwanted gear in Afghanistan to be sold as scrap
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The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.