Submission Statement
Between 2001 and 2021, under four U.S. presidents, the United States spent approximately $2.3 trillion, with 2,459 American military fatalities and up to 360,000 estimated Afghan civilian deaths.
After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, approximately $7.12 billion worth of military equipment was left behind, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report. This equipment, transferred to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to 2021, included:
Weapons: Over 300,000 of 427,300 weapons, including rifles like M4s and M16s.
Vehicles: More than 40,000 of 96,000 military vehicles, including 12,000 Humvees and 1,000 armored vehicles.
Aircraft: 78 aircraft, valued at $923.3 million, left at Hamid Karzai International Airport, all demilitarized and rendered inoperable.
Munitions: 9,524 air-to-ground munitions worth $6.54 million, mostly non-precision.
Communications and Specialized Equipment: Nearly all communications gear (e.g., radios, encryption devices) and 42,000 pieces of night vision, surveillance, biometric, and positioning equipment.
The total equipment provided to the ANDSF was valued at $18.6 billion, with the $7.12 billion figure representing what remained after the withdrawal. Much of this equipment is now under Taliban control, though its operational capability is limited due to the need for specialized maintenance and technical expertise.
The United States has provided at least $93.41 billion in total aid to Afghanistan since 2001. This includes:
Military Aid (2001–2020): Approximately $72.7 billion (in current dollars), primarily through the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund ($71.7 billion) and other programs like International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, and Peacekeeping Operations ($1 billion combined).
Humanitarian and Reconstruction Aid (2001–2025): Around $20.71 billion, including $3 billion in humanitarian and development aid post-2021 and $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan assets transferred to the Afghan Fund in 2022. Pre-2021 reconstruction and humanitarian aid (e.g., $174 million in 2001 and $300 million pledged in 2002) adds to this, though exact figures for the full period are less clear.
didn't usa also train the taliban? because they didn't want ussr to have afghanistan
Yes but actually no. Mujahideen (did I spell that correctly?) were CIA funded as they opposed the Russian invasion.
A lot of former Mujahideen fighters did end up in both Taliban and Al-Quebec (autocorrect tells me that's the right spelling) after the soviet-Afghan war, including Osama himself. While allied, they are separate entities.
They are allies and with common roots, but saying Taliban was trained by CIA is an oversimplification. Some of its members were, yes, but that was long before Taliban was a thing.
Also, the paragon of Aged Like Milk:
Hahahahahahahhqhahaa!!!! Al-Quebec!
The French Canadian province would like a word
So it wasn't these guys that ended up in Afghanistan somehow?
Ehh, we're here to bring you to Allah ya hosers.
Sorry, eh.
No. The Taliban only got started after the Soviets left. But the US funded and trained the Mujahedeen which later created Al-Quaeda.
Riiight, tell me, what does the word 'mujahedeen' mean?
And why are they trying to hide it then if it's so on the level?
You americans sure love those name tricks.
Like this POS ISIS headchopper:
Nooo, he's Ahmed al-Sharaa now and no longer from Al Quaida but totally harmless HTS.
No, US funded what became Al-Qaeda, but the word Mohajed is usually used for a certain mix of Marxist and Islamist which is not common in our world anymore. The, eh, Islamic Republic of Iran in its ideology bears a significant trace of that though.
Couldn't be more wrong, Mujahedeen:"one who struggles on behalf of Islam", they are religious fundamentalists and the US knew it then and now.
As they still support ISIS or whatever scumbag proxy doing their killing for them.
It has certainly nothing to do with Marxism.
I've literally told you where to look for an example. You are wrong. That this syncretism seems impossible to you means nothing.
In the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan local leftist-Islamist groups (with just a few al-Qaeda like ones) were against the USSR, while the secular-leftist government remnants were its ally (after they created the whole situation by assassinating the friendly dictator, it's complex).
Mojahed has, yes, a rather wide meaning, but politically it's associated with left-Islamist groups.
Shia fundamentalism is pretty socialist. Actually Islamic (including right and Sunni) fundamentalism in general has a lot about support nets, helping poor and such. They also have their own "not dirty" financial organization methods, like "Islamic banking".
What had to be done to make political Islam the jihadi-Christian\Yazidi-beheading-ISIS-like-Caliphate-willing movement again, since the Ottoman empire, was a lot of work by western nations and a few small Arab monarchies. In Soviet times it was basically the western MO, to support-create-guide right-wing and fundamentalist organizations as opposed to the kind of movements USSR's appearances attracted.
Of course, now they are trying to wash their hands.
They trained them, gave them weapons and assistance as much as they could.
Don't believe the revisionist trolls bcs the name is different.
They were the same people with the same beliefs.
Just ask the trolls what Mujahideen stands for?
Or where they got the stinger missiles?
“That's why the Taliban is so deadly and effective — hapkido training. Where'd they learn that? From Steven Seagal's fat ass. Why do you think Kelly Lebrock left him? 'Cause he's Taliban.”
We did.
There's a whole joke about it in The Boys when the Soldier Boy character is revived.
Adds another ~4 billion to the equation.