U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and two dozen of his Republican colleagues want to know why taxpayer-funded American military equipment may have fallen into the hands of the Taliban, which has retaken Afghanistan since the United States withdrew its military from the country.
“It is unconscionable that high-tech military equipment paid for by U.S. taxpayers has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and their terrorist allies,” wrote Sen. Cassidy and the lawmakers in an Aug. 18 letter sent to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “Securing U.S. assets should have been among the top priorities for the U.S. Department of Defense prior to announcing the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
In addition to Sen. Cassidy, the letter was signed by 24 Republicans, including U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Richard Burr (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Deb Fischer (R-NE).
The senators requested that Secretary Austin provide them with detailed information, including a full account of military equipment provided during the last year to the Afghan Armed Forces; all military equipment, owned by either the U.S. or Afghan Armed Forces, that was removed or destroyed prior to the U.S. withdrawal, or is rendered inoperable without U.S. logistics personnel; all U.S. military equipment that remains operational in Afghanistan; and a list of what military equipment has been seized by the Taliban, among other information.
They also want to know about any efforts made by the Biden administration, planned or under way, to recapture or destroy equipment that remains in Afghanistan and whether it is at risk of being used by terrorist entities, according to their letter.