Trump Wants To 'Bomb The Hell Out Of' Military Equipment If Taliban Won't Return Them

KEY POINTS

Reports suggest the Taliban are seizing U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan
It is unclear how much U.S. weaponry has fallen into the hands of the insurgent group
The Pentagon has yet to indicate whether it will publish a full accounting of all U.S. equipment in Afghanistan

Former President Donald Trump believes the United States should “bomb the hell out of” the military equipment left behind in Afghanistan if the Taliban refuse to return them.

In a statement released Monday, the former president slammed reports of the Taliban seizing military equipment that belong to the U.S., including tanks, trucks, weapons and gear.

"Never in history has a withdrawal from war been handled so badly or incompetently as the Biden Administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan," Trump said. "In addition to the obvious, ALL EQUIPMENT should be demanded to be immediately returned to the United States, and that includes every penny of the $85 billion dollars in cost."

He also argued that should the insurgent group refuse to hand over U.S. weaponry, the government should respond with force or bomb the country.

“If it is not handed back, we should either go in with unequivocal Military force and get it, or at least bomb the hell out of it,” Trump added.

The Pentagon has yet to put an exact figure on the number of weaponry and vehicles left in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. However, some reports speculate that there are over 360,000 rifles, thousands of trucks, and several helicopters left behind, the Government Accountability Office said.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., last week wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requesting information from the Pentagon over its plans to recover or destroy U.S. equipment seized by the Taliban.

However, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refused to confirm whether the Pentagon would release documents showing a full accounting of all U.S. equipment left in Afghanistan. He also refused to answer whether the Pentagon would publish documents showing how much of the U.S. military equipment given to Afghan forces were destroyed during the withdrawal.

"I think when the time is right we'll be able to — to try to help better flesh that out," Kirby said at a press briefing.

The U.S. pulled out the last of its troops from Afghanistan on Monday and also ended the evacuation mission at the Hamid Karzai International Aiport in Kabul.