Taliban in talks with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on returning hijacked helicopters

Taliban has begun negotiations on the return of helicopters that were moved to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan during the fall of the previous regime in August last year.

Photo: Anadolu agency

Inamullah Samanghani, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban’s interim government, told the media that the previous government had hijacked more than 40 helicopters to neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Samangani said that the Taliban are currently holding talks with authorities of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the return of the helicopters but it is not yet clear when they will be returned to the Taliban.

Inayetulla Kharezmi, a spokesman to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said that a request for the return of helicopters had been sent to the governments of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but there has been no positive response yet.

According to Afghan media reports, the Afghan National Army had a total of 220 fighter jets and helicopters, but after the capture of the Taliban that number was reduced to 160 because the remaining helicopters and planes of the Afghan Air Force personnel fled to neighboring countries.