Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Taliban movement has protested against the deal involving the transfer of military aviation equipment to Uzbekistan, which was relocated from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan in 2021.

According to media reports, the Afghan Ministry of Defense has stated that the United States has no right to confiscate Afghan property and transfer it to another party.

The Taliban also emphasized that any deal regarding Afghan helicopters and aircraft currently in Uzbekistan is unacceptable and urged the Uzbek government to refrain from participating in such agreements.

Earlier, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick announced that an agreement had been reached between Washington and Tashkent regarding the fate of the aviation equipment transferred to Uzbekistan in 2021. According to the diplomat, the helicopters and airplanes previously used by the Afghan army are owned by the United States and never belonged to Afghanistan.

Afghan media reports indicate that before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, there were 164 combat aircraft, but now only 81 remain. Some Afghan Air Force aircraft and helicopters were relocated to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Uzbekistan currently hosts a total of 22 military aircraft and 24 military helicopters, including Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, UH-60 Black Hawk, MD-530, and Mi-17 models.