KABUL: Recent speculations have arisen regarding the fate of Afghan military aircraft that were taken to Central Asian countries during the fall of the previous government in August 2021. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on September 10, stated in an interview with The Kabul Times that Uzbekistan had agreed to return helicopters that Afghan pilots had flown across the border during the fall of Kabul. He claimed that the process to transfer 57 helicopters was nearing completion and described it as a step towards rebuilding Afghanistan’s Air Force and strengthening relations between the two countries. According to Mujahid, these aircraft had remained in Uzbekistan as a result of secret negotiations between Tashkent and Kabul. However, the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly refuted the Taliban’s claims. On September 11, spokesperson Ahuror Barkhanov told Gazeta. Uz, that reports regarding the return of helicopters “do not align with reality.” He described the information as “fake news” and emphasized that Uzbekistan’s stance on this matter had not changed. The Taliban has repeatedly requested the return of these aircraft from both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but neither Tashkent nor Dushanbe has provided a clear response to these requests. Previously, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick mentioned that Washington and Tashkent had reached an understanding regarding these aircraft in 2021. He stated that a portion of military equipment remains in Uzbekistan, and both governments are working on this issue through a joint project. Before the Taliban came to power in August 2021, the Afghan Air Force had a fleet of 164 military aircraft. It is now estimated that only 81 remain.
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