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→Lloyd Austin
In July 2021 the [[Pentagon]] said it was providing the Afghan Air Force 35 Black Hawk helicopters and three A-29 Super Tucanos. Less than a month later the Black Hawks helicopters and other aircraft were seized by the Taliban. Many of the aircraft and helicopters are armed. The A-29 Super Tucanos can fire laser-guided and other types of bombs. The Afghan government also had 50 American-made MD-530 attack helicopters, which are armed with machine guns and rockets. The Afghan Air Force had UH-60 Black Hawks and Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, as well as C-130 and Cessna transports, and a small fleet of armed Cessnas.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/taliban-captured-helicopters-can-they-capture-air-force/184525/</ref>
In July 2021 the [[Pentagon]] said it was providing the Afghan Air Force 35 Black Hawk helicopters and three A-29 Super Tucanos. Less than a month later the Black Hawks helicopters and other aircraft were seized by the Taliban. Many of the aircraft and helicopters are armed. The A-29 Super Tucanos can fire laser-guided and other types of bombs. The Afghan government also had 50 American-made MD-530 attack helicopters, which are armed with machine guns and rockets. The Afghan Air Force had UH-60 Black Hawks and Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, as well as C-130 and Cessna transports, and a small fleet of armed Cessnas.<ref>https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/08/taliban-captured-helicopters-can-they-capture-air-force/184525/</ref>
During a press conference on August 18, 2021 at the Pentagon, Biden defense minister [[Lloyd Austin]] and Mark Milley admitted that several U.S. aircraft flew out of the country during the 2021 Rape of Afghanistan. They think they were flown to [[Russian Federation|Russian Federal Republics]] of [[Uzbekistan]] or [[Tajikistan]], but they were not sure. Austin and Milley had no idea how many aircraft were taken.<ref>https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/08/biden-effect-us-lost-several-military-aircraft-flown-afghanistan-no-idea-many-lost-video/</ref>
During a press conference on August 18, 2021 at the Pentagon, Biden defense minister [[Lloyd Austin]] and Mark Milley admitted that several U.S. aircraft flew out of the country during the 2021 Rape of Afghanistan. They think they were flown to [[Russian Federation|Russian Federal Republics]] of [[Uzbekistan]] or [[Tajikistan]], but they were not sure. Austin and Milley had no idea how many aircraft were taken.<ref>https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/08/biden-effect-us-lost-several-military-aircraft-flown-afghanistan-no-idea-many-lost-video/</ref> An exchange with a reporter and defense minister Lloyd Austin went like this:
{{quotebox-float|'''Q:''' It seems to me like barring a lobotomy by the Taliban; you have three pathways ahead of you. One, you can expand the perimeter and establish a corridor into Kabul to get our Afghan allies out. Two, you could extend the August 31 deadline of withdrawing. Or three, you can just leave the tens of thousands of Afghans who've helped us over the past 20 years behind. Which one is it going to be?
'''SEC. AUSTIN:''' First of all, as I said, we're going to evacuate everybody that we can physically possibly evacuate. And we'll -- we'll conduct these -- this process for as long as we possibly can. We will continue to deconflict issues with -- with the Taliban. And we will stay focused on securing the -- the airfield. We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield or -- or -- or not have an airfield that secures where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield at will and put our forces at risk.
'''Q:''' But that doesn't answer the question. I mean, you're still saying you're focused on the airfield. These -- these people can't get into the airfield.
'''SEC. AUSTIN:''' Well we're going to do everything we can to continue to try to deconflict and create passageways for them to get to the airfield. I don't have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul. And where do you take that? I mean, how far can you extend into Kabul, you know, and how long does it take to flow those forces in to be able to do that?
'''Q:''' So it sounds like you're saying this depends on diplomacy with the Taliban, that's it. That's our only option is getting them to agree to do this.<ref>https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2738086/secretary-of-defense-austin-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-mille/</ref>}}
===Susan Rice===
===Susan Rice===