Uzbekistan may return former Afghan Air Force Aircraft to the Taliban

KABUL: Some Afghan media outlets report that helicopters and aircrafts belonging to the former Afghan Air Force, transferred to Uzbekistan after the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government, may soon be returned to the Taliban. Following the collapse of Ghani’s republic in August 2021, several aircraft and helicopters were moved by Afghan Air Force pilots to neighboring countries, particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. These included Mi-17 and UH-60 helicopters, as well as fixed-wing aircraft like PC-12, C-208, AC-208, and A-29. The Taliban have repeatedly requested that Uzbekistan and Tajikistan return these aircraft, but neither country has officially responded to these requests. The U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan previously mentioned that, under a new agreement, 46 aircraft from the former Afghan Air Force would remain under Uzbekistan’s control. However, this information has not yet been officially confirmed, and the exact timeline for any potential return of these helicopters remains unclear. Earlier, Politico reported that U.S. government sources indicated Washington was in discussions with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan about possibly transferring these aircraft as part of military support. Due to the sensitive nature of Afghanistan’s relations and Russia’s economic and military influence, both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have not openly commented on the U.S. decision. However, a senior official from the Defense Ministry and a congressional advisor stated that U.S. officials may be secretly trying to leverage these aircraft as a pressure tool to establish a presence in the region, where the U.S. military is no longer active.