Fall of Afghanistan leaves terrorists with terrifying multi-billion pound arsenal – World News

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Al-Qaeda and Islamic State could get their hands on 208 aircraft and 75,000 vehicles, including 4,700 Humvees, as well as 20,000 grenades, 7,000 machine guns and close on a million assault rifles

The lightning fall of Afghanistan has landed terrorists with a multi-billion pound haul of weapons, some of which could soon be turned against us.

Four years ago the US gave Afghan forces 208 aircraft and 75,000 vehicles,including 4,700 Humvees.

Much of this deadly hardware is now in Taliban hands.

Also added to their armoury – much of which will find its way to al-Qaeda or Islamic State – are 20,000 grenades, 7,000 machine guns and close on a million assault rifles.

These M4 and MI6 guns are more deadly than the AK47 rifle usually wielded by jihadis and could be reverse engineered to produce many more.

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Black Hawk helicopters that have fallen into Taliban hands could also be studied by their new friends the Russians and the Chinese.

It is feared more than half a million other weapons systems, together with tons of explosives, may also have fallen to the Taliban or other jihadi groups.

And surveillance and intelligence equipment left at Afghan Army bases will soon be helping the new rulers hunt down former officials.

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Ex-gov­­ern­­­ment anti-terrorism adviser Col Richard Kemp said: “All of this will boost the confidence of the Taliban

and much of it will inevitably be sold on to al-Qaeda for training or far worse.

“Jihadi networks emerging in Afghanistan could well be better armed now than ever before.”