A recent report by the BBC highlights that since taking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have allegedly sold or smuggled around 500,000 American-made weapons to terrorist organizations.
These arms were originally left behind by withdrawing US forces and have reportedly ended up in the hands of groups linked to al-Qaeda, among others.
The report references a United Nations assessment which reveals that the Taliban themselves have acknowledged losing track of nearly half of the US-supplied military hardware. Additionally, the UN notes that Taliban leaders permitted local commanders to keep up to 20% of these weapons, a policy that has fueled illegal arms sales on the black market.
A local journalist in Kandahar confirmed that for at least a year after the Taliban’s return to power, American arms were openly traded in markets before the transactions shifted underground.
The accusations were denied by the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, who insisted that all weapons are secure and dismissed the claims of arms smuggling or sales as baseless propaganda.
The report also referenced the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which estimated that a large number of weapons, ammo and equipment including around 250,000 firearms and 18,000 night-vision devices were left behind—an arsenal comparable to that of the US Marine Corps.
US President Donald Trump has previously stated that arms and equipment worth $85 billion were left behind in Afghanistan.
The potential redistribution of these arms to hostile actors could further destabilise an already volatile region and complicate counterterrorism efforts globally.
While the Taliban continue to deny the allegations, international observers have called for stricter monitoring of arms flows in post-conflict Afghanistan to prevent misuse and proliferation.
Pakistan’s security agencies have previously highlighted that US-origin weapons, smuggled from Afghanistan, were being used in recent terror attacks across the country.
Officials cited multiple recoveries of advanced American arms during operations and attacks, including M32 grenade launchers, M-16/A4 rifles, M-4 carbines, night vision gear, and hand grenades.
These weapons were found during incidents such as the BLA attack on a naval base in Turbat, an attempted assault on the Gwadar Port Authority, and raids in North Waziristan, Zhob, Bajaur, and Mir Ali.
Security sources link the weapons to stockpiles left behind in Afghanistan, warning of increased militant capabilities inside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has called the spread of these weapons a serious threat to national security.
Earlier this week a Washington Post investigation had also found that terrorists operating in Pakistan, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were increasingly using advanced US-made weapons left behind after the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, .
Pakistani officials had confirmed that US-origin M16 rifles were used in the March 11 bombing of the Jaffar Express. Serial numbers on two recovered rifles were traced back to US military stockpiles.
Source: Express Tribune
