‘We’re going to arm them!’ As thousands of weapons are left behind, China will flood the Taliban with cash. A panelist on the JEREMY Vine Show erupted in laughter as he expressed surprise that the West has essentially armed the Taliban with discarded equipment, making future engagements with the group more difficult, while Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said China’s involvement had made the situation even worse. Following a recent update by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who warned equipment may have to be abandoned in order to get more troops on planes, journalist Mike Parry said he “could not believe” the number of weaponry left behind in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already seized military outposts across the country, with photos showing fighters using Western-style weapons. Tobias Ellwood, the Chair of the Defence Select Committee, said the situation was exacerbated by China’s plans to grow its influence in Afghanistan by including it into its “One Belt, One Road” foreign investment agenda to exploit mineral riches. World leaders questioned why Chinese officials met with the Taliban at the end of July, just before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Political analysts have speculated that the superpower wants to exert control over Afghanistan by establishing ties with the Taliban and perhaps helping fund the group’s future goals. Afghanistan also possesses a wealth of natural resources, like lithium, which China may attempt to acquire and exploit for its own economic benefit. Mr Parry, who appeared on the Jeremy Vine Show, couldn’t believe that obsolete Western technology had ended up in the Taliban’s hands. “I cannot fathom the amount of military stuff that the Americans have left behind,” he remarked. “I’m not shocked you claimed it’s hard to go back in. “How could we possible have left all of that when they have 200 Western planes and helicopters, as well as tens of thousands of vehicles?” As Taliban fighters displayed night vision goggles, body armour, and firearms belonging to the US military, billions of dollars worth of equipment was left behind in Afghanistan. “And that is the awful irony of the circumstance that we now find ourselves in,” Mr Ellwood, who was also on the show, remarked. “We’re not only back to square one; we’ve actually armed the Taliban themselves. “And, as I just mentioned, they’ll now join forces with the Chinese, who have a totally different perspective.”Brinkwire Summary News”.
