Taliban Claims They Have Briefcases Stuffed With Millions of U.S. Dollars — With One Important Hitch

A Taliban commander is claiming they have dozens of briefcases packed with millions of U.S. dollars looted from American bases and shipping containers in Afghanistan during battles.

One hitch: They can't get them open.

The commander, speaking to a Pakistani media outlet, said every time they try cutting open the briefcase locks, they hear a small explosion inside the case, burning up the money. He said they're looking for an expert locksmith who can help circumvent the triggering devices and crack the cases open.

The Taliban leader told Pakistani news website the Border News that they have dozens of briefcases with markings on the outside indicating that they contain at least $1 million each.

A Taliban commander is claiming they are in possession of dozens of U.S. briefcases packed with millions in cash, which one American official deemed "preposterous." (Image source: Border News)

But U.S. Navy Cmd. Elissa Smith, who heads the Afghanistan-Pakistan desk at the Pentagon, said the story seems "preposterous."

"I think this falls in the category of preposterous," Smith told TheBlaze. "I've never heard of an instance where the Taliban have attacked an American base in Afghanistan and come away with containers, let alone briefcases that contain money."

The Border News reported that the Taliban commander provided a five-minute video clip showing the various techniques used to unsuccessfully try to open the briefcases; the news agency published only a portion of the video on its website.

The commander said there appear to be chemicals inside the briefcases that make the bills turn black as soon as they're hit with oxygen.

A Western official who saw the video and reported claims from the Taliban also cast doubt on the story.

"I wonder if they're not being set up by their own intelligence agency  or some foreign intelligence -- or if they are flat-out lying. It's hard to tell with what's been given," the official said. "It looks pretty amateur if you ask me -- something made in China you'd pick up at a local bazaar. But who knows?"

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