Former President Donald J. Trump, a Republican candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, claimed that Afghanistan has become the world’s largest seller of military equipment left behind by the United States during its withdrawal, indirectly referring to the Taliban’s control over the assets.
Trump sharply criticized the decision to leave Afghanistan’s resources under the current regime’s control.
In a conversation on X, formerly known as Twitter, with Elon Musk, Trump stated, “We gave $85 billion of it back to Afghanistan, if you can believe it. We gave them $85 billion. You know, they’re one of the largest sellers of military equipment in the world. They’re selling what we gave them. That was one of the most embarrassing days in the history of our country.”
Trump further asserted that the “disaster in Afghanistan” would not have occurred if Joe Biden had not been president.
The former president also commented on global conflicts, warning that the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East could escalate into a “world war.” He emphasized that the primary threat to the world is “nuclear warming,” rather than climate change.
Trump’s remarks about Afghanistan come as the Taliban continue to maintain control over Kabul following the signing of the Doha Agreement during his administration. Some analysts view the agreement as a U.S. concession to the Taliban at the expense of Afghanistan.
The Doha Agreement, signed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, now the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, committed the U.S. to withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. The subsequent U.S. evacuation, completed on August 15, 2021, is widely regarded as one of the most disastrous events in American foreign and military policy history.
