Dozens of military helicopters flown out of Afghanistan during the fall of the Western-backed government in 2021 are now at the center of the Taliban’s desperate push for legitimacy.
Sources confirm that 57 helicopters, once part of the Afghan National Army’s fleet, are expected to be transferred from Uzbekistan back to Kabul in the coming days. When the Islamic Republic collapsed in August 2021, Afghan pilots flew dozens of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to prevent them from falling into Taliban hands.
The United States had earlier revealed that 46 aircraft went to Uzbekistan and 18 to Tajikistan, including Mi-17s, UH-60s, PC-12s, C-208s, AC-208s, and A-29 Super Tucanos.
Since taking power, the Taliban has repeatedly demanded the return of the aircraft, but officials in Tashkent and Dushanbe largely ignored the requests. Washington even thanked Tajikistan for refusing to transfer planes to the Taliban and confirmed that many aircraft in Uzbekistan would remain under Uzbek control.
The Taliban’s pleas highlight the regime’s lack of credibility and international recognition. Instead of acting like a responsible state, it continues to pressure neighbors for military hardware while struggling to provide basic governance at home.
A former Afghan security commander noted that the U.S. had supplied Afghanistan with 229 helicopters before the Taliban takeover—yet today, the regime is left chasing after the remnants of a fleet it never built.
