State Department’s deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel made the statement in a press briefing on Tuesday when he was asked about reports of American weapons being found from terrorists who were killed in the attack.
Patel offered condolences for the attack but said that American weapons could not have been used in the attack.“I want to be very clear about this: There was no equipment left behind by American forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he said.“I will also add that while large-scale military grant assistance remains suspended, we have partnered with Pakistan for more than 40 years to support law enforcement, rule of law, counter narcotics efforts, and other areas in the security space, and will continue to value our bilateral relationship,” he added.Reports had emerged that a variety of American weapons were used in the attack on the Mianwali airbase which left multiple grounded aircraft damaged. Reports from an attack in Zhob a months earlier had led to similar reports as well.The reports had also claimed that American weapons were being openly sold in Afghanistan since the US withdrawal.