Afghanistan’s Transformed Landscape Five Years Post-U.S. Withdrawal

As the United States reflects on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, CBS News revisits Afghanistan, where the conflict sparked by those attacks concluded five years ago with the Taliban’s surprising resurgence. The withdrawal of U.S. and allied troops, following a challenging two-decade war, left behind a cache of American military equipment valued at billions of dollars. President Trump, who orchestrated the initial withdrawal agreement with the Taliban, has since criticized the Biden administration for what he describes as a mismanaged exit.

Today, American military hardware is a common sight on Kabul’s streets. Taliban troops are seen wearing American uniforms, driving U.S.-manufactured vehicles, and using advanced weaponry. Recently, a convoy of Taliban personnel paraded by the former U.S. Embassy, marking their fifth year in power. A notable sight included a Humvee bearing a faded Green Bay Packers decal, a vestige of its previous operators.

President Trump’s criticisms focus on what he sees as the Biden administration’s failure, allowing extensive military resources to fall into Taliban hands. He insists they should be returned. The Taliban, however, openly flaunts its American-acquired arsenal with public displays of strength throughout Kabul.

According to Pentagon data, approximately $7 billion in weaponry became Taliban property after the Afghan National Army’s collapse. In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. departure in 2021, CBS News captured the ‘Badri 313’ battalion, the Taliban’s elite forces, using American equipment and gear.

Regarding Trump’s demands, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, from the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the equipment is now part of Afghanistan’s national assets. His stance reflects an unwillingness to negotiate over what he considers sovereign property. He further pointed to the U.S.’s historical destruction in Afghanistan, questioning any reparations.

Throughout the years of conflict, over 2,400 U.S. service members and countless Afghan civilians perished. Critics argue that the manner of the U.S. withdrawal allowed the Taliban to evolve into a structured military presence with substantial American-funded weaponry. This has enabled them to impose a strict version of Islamic law, severely limiting the roles of women and altering everyday life.

Biden has largely refrained from commenting on the withdrawal. In 2021, shortly after the Taliban’s return, he defended his decision to end U.S. involvement. Biden emphasized that American troops should not continue fighting a war in which Afghan forces were unwilling to engage.

By 2023, a White House summary of a classified review on the withdrawal primarily attributed the situation to the terms of the Doha Agreement crafted during Trump’s presidency. This agreement set conditions for the Taliban that facilitated the U.S. exit. A separate State Department report from 2023 criticized both Trump and Biden administrations for inadequate exit strategies.