Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has appealed to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
He emphasized that after the Taliban took power in August 2021, Afghan military pilots took several helicopters out of the country and moved them to neighboring states. Muttaqi stated at a meeting held in Kabul the necessity of returning this military equipment to the Afghan people.
According to the minister, these helicopters are used solely for humanitarian purposes and serve the interests of the people. Earlier, on September 8, the Afghanistan International publication reported that Uzbekistan might return 57 military helicopters taken out in 2021 back to Afghanistan in the near future.
On September 11, The Kabul Times newspaper published statements by Taliban government representative Zabihullo Mujahid, saying that Uzbekistan had agreed to return this aviation equipment. Nevertheless, the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied this information.
Press Secretary Ahror Burkhanov emphasized that the circulated reports are not true, Uzbekistan's position has not changed, and such information is false. According to official data, when power changed hands in Afghanistan in 2021, military personnel from the previous regime took 46 aircraft to Uzbekistan, including 22 airplanes and 24 helicopters.
Since then, the Afghan interim government has repeatedly demanded the return of this equipment. However, the Tashkent government states that this aviation equipment belongs to the United States and that returning it is not possible.
In August 2024, Jonathan Henick, the US ambassador to Uzbekistan, announced that an agreement had been reached on this matter. He emphasized that the airplanes and helicopters would remain on Uzbek territory because they never belonged to the Afghans.
According to information released in February 2025, seven Black Hawk helicopters were returned to the US, while the rest remain stored in Uzbekistan. Currently, discussions around this issue continue, and the Afghan government is awaiting a clear response from the neighboring countries.
