The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of $60 million of weapons to Afghanistan

Almaty. August 22. Silkroadnews – To support the Afghan forces in the fight against terrorism the U.S. State Department has approved the sale of $60 million of large shipments of weapon and military equipment, Afghan news agency (AfTAG) reports.

“The State Department has approved the possible sale of weapons and equipment to Afghanistan, as well as providing training and support. The preliminary cost is estimated as $60 million”, the publication says referring to the statement by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), part of the Pentagon structure.

The DSCA has already submitted all the necessary documents, having notified the U.S. Congress of a possible deal on August 17, 2016.

The Afghan side is planning to buy about five thousand M16A4 rifles, 485 M240B machine guns and 800 M2 heavy machine guns. Besides the issue is about delivery of M249 light automatic machine guns, M1110 sniper rifles, and MK-19 grenade launchers as well as gun mounts, tripods and gun parts, technical documentation.