‘Graveyard of EMPIRES and their WAR MACHINES’: China mocks US as Taliban turn copter into swing
Lijian Zhao, a senior official in the Chinese foreign ministry, mocked the United States in a tweet which has been viewed more than 70,000 times.
FollowChina has mocked the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan as a senior Chinese government official shared footage that showed Taliban fighters turning abandoned US military planes into swings and toys.
Lijian Zhao, a senior official in the Chinese foreign ministry, mocked the United States in a tweet which has been viewed more than 70,000 times.
"The graveyard of EMPIRES and their WAR MACHINES. Talibans (sic) have turned their planes into swings and toys....." Lijian Zhao wrote, tweeting the video.
The video shows what appears to be a group of Taliban fighters turning the wing of a military plane into a makeshift swing. The men can be heard laughing and cheering as they take turns pushing a man into the air.
Marking the end of the 20-year long war in Afghanistan, the United States Army withdrew their troops completely from the country on August 30.
According to DailyMail, it is believed the Taliban has a total of 48 aircraft, though it is not known whether this equipment is airworthy or how long they will be able to keep them operational.
Also read: Afghanistan: 'Hijab not a choice’ say women during march in support of Taliban
Commander of the US evacuation mission, General Frank McKenzie said his troops disabled 73 aircraft before pulling out of the country last month.
The troops destroyed avionics, removed propellers and guns from planes and helicopters. Others had their wheels stripped away leaving them sitting on the tarmac, the report said.
In the weeks before the US withdrawal, the Afghan Air Force was operating 167 aircraft, including 108 helicopters and 59 aircraft.
Some 46 aircraft including 24 helicopters were flown to Uzbekistan before the Taliban takeover.
After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, China has been continuously trying to take a jibe at Washington for their hasty pullout, despite experts' claim of Beijing supporting the Taliban's rise in Kabul. After August 15, Beijing has indicated that it is willing to cooperate with the Taliban.
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