Kabul madhouse

[hollohas]

Most of that equipment was given to the Afghan military. We gave them the works so they had a chance to keep the country under control. Along with the equipment came training. You don't think the Taliban is smart enough to not kill all the Afghan pilots we trained? Hey Afghan military pilot guy, you are now a Taliban pilot or everyone you've ever known will be tortured/killed/enslaved. You will train more Taliban pilots until we have no use for you and then we'll kill you and everyone you know anyway.

[hollohas]

Or this story. 19 year old kid steal multiple planes and flies one to the Bahamas.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore

PS - he had NO flight training. Just read some manuals.

[clodhopper]

I have a really hard time believing this was an actual pic. of a Taliban flying one of our Blackhawks. I mean come on, do we really believe that someone with zero copter flight training is going to just jump in and figure it out on their own at a moments notice. I'm not buying it. I certainly do believe that we left plenty of capable equipment left behind, but I don't see anyone figuring out how to use a helicopter without some training.

We just spent years training Afghan military staff to use/operate our equipment with the expectation that we would equip the govt we leave behind to be able to manage the country. Overnight they all disappeared. Do you think it impossible for one our past trainees to now hold a position with the tallys? Any helo training and a little time would get a guy able to get a blackhawk aloft. Watch the vid, he wasnt burning and banking, he was slow parade mosey around the air.

[Scanker19]

I think it’s naive to assume the taliban can’t fly anything or is incapable of learning. They were running Afghanistan in 2001, they’ve managed to keep us busy for 20 years. They’re not cavemen with clubs, sadly. Evened underestimate your enemy. This isn’t the JV team…

[Bailey Guns]

Doesn't have to be Taliban/Afghan pilots. There are plenty of Pakistanis or other foreign nationals that are sympathetic to their cause. Or some Taliban dude that's not on anyone's radar got some flight training somewhere. It's not hard for me to believe at all.

[Scanker19]

Exactly.

I’m personally hoping they won’t be able to keep up logistically with repairs. But I’m sure we left the Afghan army a support package.

[Bailey Guns]

^^ I think that's probably best case. Stuff breaks and can't be fixed. Or can't be fixed easily or reliably. Then the fucker crashes with about 15 of those little bastards on board.

[Great-Kazoo]

I have a really hard time believing this was an actual pic. of a Taliban flying one of our Blackhawks. I mean come on, do we really believe that someone with zero copter flight training is going to just jump in and figure it out on their own at a moments notice. I'm not buying it. I certainly do believe that we left plenty of capable equipment left behind, but I don't see anyone figuring out how to use a helicopter without some training.

There's plenty of Paki's and chinese who do know how to fly them. We handed over who knows how much tech to pakistan and china.

[hollohas]

I'm just hoping the stuff we left is last year's model if you will. I mean, we gave them a bunch of A-29 aircraft. Not exactly cutting edge fighters there. Hoping the Blackhawks have severally outdated tech in them. That the night vision has old tubes. That none of it has GPS or transponders or sat or radios programmed for our encryption.

Hoping. Just hoping.

[MrPrena]

There's plenty of Paki's and chinese who do know how to fly them. We handed over who knows how much tech to pakistan and china.

GK beat me to it.

When is PRC gonna come in to Afghanistan?