LONDON/ISLAMABAD: The Taliban have allegedly sold or smuggled approximately 500,000 American-made weapons to various terrorist groups since assuming control of Afghanistan in 2021, according to a BBC report citing United Nations sources.
These weapons, left behind during the hasty withdrawal of US forces, are now believed to be in the hands of groups including al-Qaeda affiliates. The report notes that the Taliban themselves admitted being unable to account for nearly half of the US-supplied arsenal, a claim based on UN findings.
In Kandahar, journalists reported that American weapons were openly sold in markets for a year after the Taliban’s return, though such trades have now moved underground. The UN claims some Taliban commanders were allowed to keep up to 20% of the leftover weaponry, fueling black-market circulation.
While Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat denied all accusations, calling them “baseless propaganda,” the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has stated that about 250,000 firearms and 18,000 night vision devices were left behind—comparable in size to a Marine Corps arsenal.
Former US President Donald Trump had earlier estimated that equipment worth $85 billion was abandoned during the withdrawal.
The widespread dispersal of these weapons poses a growing threat to regional and international security. Pakistani security agencies have already confirmed that US-origin weapons were recovered from multiple terror incidents, including the BLA attack on a naval base in Turbat, an assault on the Gwadar Port Authority, and raids in North Waziristan, Bajaur, Zhob, and Mir Ali.
US-made M4 carbines, M16 rifles, grenade launchers, and night vision gear were among the items seized. Officials linked these arms to caches left in Afghanistan post-2021.
Earlier this week, a Washington Post investigation also confirmed increased use of such weapons by groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including in the Jaffar Express bombing in March. Serial numbers on recovered rifles traced back to American stockpiles.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has called the flow of these arms into militant hands a serious threat to national security, urging global stakeholders to take immediate notice.
