US Brigadier General Matthew Trollinger, deputy director of politico-military affairs for the Joint Staff, told Senate lawmakers during a hearing on Afghanistan that US military equipment could end up in the hands of Taliban fighters and terrorist groups.

When pressed for a guarantee that enemy fighters in the region won�t steal some of the abandoned and gifted military equipment, Trollinger said "there aren�t any guarantees."

But officials said they are using the time left until the pullout is completed to minimize that threat, while doing as much as they can to leave Afghan partners with tools to continue the fight.

"We will be transferring facilities, some vehicles and other equipment that the Afghan national defense forces can utilize in their ongoing efforts to secure the country," said Trollinger.

"We will be retrograding equipment that we�re able to bring back to bases and stations in the continental United States as well as elsewhere, and then we�ll be disposing of equipment that essentially is either obsolete, inoperable or legally we�re not able to transfer to Afghanistan."

This comes amid concerns from a number of Senate Armed Services Committee members who questioned the security state of Afghanistan once the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, CENTCOM officials said the drawdown is between 13 percent and 20 percent complete.

David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, said military leaders are working closely to try and prevent logistics breakdowns with the Afghan security forces.

"We�re going to continue to maintain contact with our partners to determine what we can from outside the country, and maintain good situational awareness of their current capabilities," he said.

"And we�re looking at any areas where they may be challenged and we may be able to help them."

But he acknowledged that "corruption is a problem in Afghanistan" and that securing any functional equipment left behind will be a challenge.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/22471

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