Differences have emerged between the US and the Afghan ruling organization, the Taliban, regarding the ownership of 22 fighter jets and 24 combat helicopters.
The Taliban say they do not accept the agreement reached between the United States and Uzbekistan and want their air assets back.
The US says that the planes and helicopters that the Afghan pilots took to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan at the time of the change of government in 2021 were never owned by the Afghan government. These planes and helicopters were allowed by the US to be used by the Afghan government.
US Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Hank says that these planes and helicopters will remain in Uzbekistan. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense has said in a statement that these planes and helicopters should be given to Afghanistan.