Malayalee News
Several helicopters had been evacuated from Afghanistan shortly before the fall of the government. It was replaced for repairs, including Russian-made aircraft. It is also interesting to note that these aircraft were purchased by the United States and supplied to Afghanistan.
The reason behind the deal was that the aircraft was relatively inexpensive and familiar to Afghan pilots. But at the end of January 2022, when it was confirmed that Russia would invade Ukraine, the US agreed to hand over five helicopters to Ukraine.
These were handed over to the Ukrainian army on a list of “extra defense equipment”. In addition, 11 MI17 helicopters stored at the Davismonton Air Force Base in Arizona were reportedly delivered to Ukraine.
The question now is what will happen to the Afghan Air Force planes stationed in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. America’s interest is final here. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
The Afghan pilots fled the border with their warplanes, realizing that their lives were in danger when the Western-backed Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani collapsed. They landed in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
The country’s richest Afghans have sought refuge in the Gulf states. The Taliban were outraged when their warplanes landed in neighboring countries. In January this year, the Taliban government warned the Uzbek and Tajik governments to either return the planes or face serious consequences.
The Taliban warned that their patience would not be tested and that they would not be forced to take any retaliatory measures to regain ownership of the aircraft. In response, Ismatullah Irgashev, an adviser to Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyo, said the planes would not be returned to Afghanistan. He added that they were keeping the planes in agreement with the US.
Forty-six Afghan planes are reported to be stored in Uzbekistan, while eighteen planes have arrived in Tajikistan, another Afghan neighbor. Many of these are small planes and helicopters. Most of these are MI17 helicopters.