The United States (US) and Uzbekistan have agreed on the fate of the military helicopters and airplanes hijacked by Afghan Air Force (AAF) pilots to the Central Asian country in 2021.
US Ambassador in Tashkent Jonathan Henick told Uzbek Kun News Washington and Tashkent had reached an agreement on the status of fighter jets and military helicopters belonging to the Afghan army that were flown by Afghan pilots to Uzbekistan in 2021.
Responding to a question, Henick said: “Military vehicles will remain in Uzbekistan. This has already been official.”
Henick noted the Uzbek and US sides continued to work jointly on the issue. “These vehicles never belonged to the Afghans, they belonged to the US. The Afghan army used them, but we were always the owners.”
In response, the Taliban MoD issued a statement expressing strong disapproval of any agreements concerning Afghan aircraft without Kabul’s consent.
The MoD criticized the US for potentially transferring Afghan assets to other parties and urged Uzbekistan to refrain from making any transactions related to these aircraft.
The ministry called on Uzbekistan to act in the spirit of good neighborliness and to cooperate in returning the Afghan Air Force’s planes and helicopters.
kk/mud
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