China has mocked the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan by sharing images that allegedly show Taliban fighters turning abandoned U.S. military planes into toys.
Chinese government official Lijian Zhao, who is the spokesman for the foreign ministry, tweeted video Thursday.
“The cemetery of the EMPIRES and their WAR MACHINES. The Taliban have turned their planes into swings and toys, “Zhao tweeted next to the video.
It was not immediately known where the images were taken or if they were filmed after U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
The video shows what appears to be a group of Taliban fighters turning the wing of a military plane into a makeshift swing.
You can hear the men laughing and clapping as they push a man back into the air.
The Taliban have blatantly shown the U.S. military team abandoned by troops during the final outing.
Islamist fighters have organized victory parades to showcase U.S. military equipment they have confiscated.
The value of weapons and equipment abandoned by the United States was not immediately known, but it is likely to reach tens of millions of dollars.
China, meanwhile, wasted little time taking advantage of the failed retirement of President Joe Biden from Kabul last month.
Within hours of the Taliban’s acquisition, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Beijing was ready for “friendly cooperation with Afghanistan.”
China had also tried to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the withdrawal.