Trump Floats Recovering $7.12 Billion in U.S. Gear Left in Afghanistan

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17

At the G7 summit, Trump said he may be able to get back U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan after the 2021 withdrawal, calling any recovery largely symbolic because the gear is now old.
The remarks came as he pivoted from questions about a forthcoming Iran deal, where he said he would bomb Iran if it violated proposed nuclear restrictions, into a broader attack on Biden's foreign policy record.
Trump cited dozens of aircraft, thousands of vehicles and more than 300,000 weapons left behind; the Pentagon estimated in 2022 that $7.12 billion in equipment ended up with the Taliban.
Biden officials had defended the withdrawal by saying the equipment had been in the hands of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, and Biden said the assumption that 300,000 Afghan security forces could hold off the Taliban proved wrong.