KEY POINTS
- Much of this weaponry is reportedly being sold in black markets.
- Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has gained access to these weapons.
- Taliban representatives reportedly admitted that over 500,000 pieces of military equipment were unaccounted for.
- Arms deals are increasingly conducted via encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp.
ISLAMABAD: A vast cache of weapons left behind by US forces in Afghanistan has reportedly fallen into the hands of militant groups, with growing evidence suggesting that some of this American-made arsenal is now being used in terror attacks across the region, including in Pakistan.
According to multiple Afghan sources, including former commanders, the United States had supplied large quantities of arms and equipment to anti-Taliban factions, particularly the Northern Alliance and the Afghan National Army, prior to the fall of Kabul in August 2021.
Much of this weaponry, now unaccounted for, is reportedly being sold in black markets across Afghanistan.
A senior Taliban commander, speaking anonymously, confirmed that weapons initially meant for anti-Taliban groups were either seized by the Taliban during their takeover or sold by corrupt elements.
He said what didn’t fall into their hands had entered the open market.
The weapons include rifles, night vision devices, armoured vehicles, and communication systems—many originally supplied by the US.
These weapons were meant to help locals resist the Taliban but mostly ended up in Taliban hands when they took control of Kabul.” – -Afghan Taliban official in Kabul.
A second Afghan Taliban official in Kabul told WE News English that a large number of weapons left by the US troops at the time of the withdrawal, especially in the north, had no proper records.
These weapons were meant to help locals resist the Taliban but mostly ended up in Taliban hands when they took control of Kabul.
Some weapons were seized directly from Afghan soldiers or local sources, often by key figures.
Over time, however, American weapons began appearing in black markets both inside and outside Afghanistan.
While the Taliban claim they have tried to retrieve weapons from civilians and prevent misuse, they admit some remain unaccounted for.
They deny facilitating any misuse and insist the weapons are Afghanistan’s property.
Several recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan have prompted security agencies to trace the recovered arms back to this abandoned stockpile.
Pakistani officials claim that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has gained access to these weapons either directly or via cross-border smuggling networks operating along the porous Pak-Afghan border.
The United Nations (UN), in its February 2024 report, also confirmed that US-supplied weapons once in the hands of Afghan security forces are now being used by militant groups such as the TTP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansarullah.
These arms are reportedly circulating in regional black markets, often sold or exchanged among extremist factions and local warlords.
In a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee held in Doha last year, Taliban representatives reportedly admitted that over 500,000 pieces of military equipment were unaccounted for.
While the Taliban leadership has publicly denied these claims, multiple sources verified the figures shared in that meeting.
Responding to international concerns, Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat told the BBC that all light and heavy weapons are securely stored and rejected claims of smuggling or loss.
Taliban field commanders are allowed to retain up to 20 per cent of confiscated weapons—many of which reportedly end up on the black market.” – 2023 United Nations report.
Another spokesperson, Ustad Faridoon, tells WE News English that the Islamic Emirate does not share any information about its weapons with anyone, as doing so would be a betrayal of the nation.
“The Islamic Emirate is not accountable to anyone for this and that the weapons are the property of Afghanistan.
The Soviets had previously left weapons behind and now the Americans had done the same,” he adds.
According to him, these arms remain under Afghan ownership and cannot fall into anyone’s hands or be misused. He dismissed reports of weapon smuggling or misuse as false and baseless.
However, UN officials and local observers dispute these assurances. A 2023 UN report revealed that Taliban field commanders are allowed to retain up to 20 per cent of confiscated weapons—many of which reportedly end up on the black market.
The report also highlighted the widespread practice of gifting weapons among fighters to strengthen internal alliances.
Investigative accounts confirm that once-open arms markets in cities like Kandahar have now gone underground, with arms deals increasingly conducted via encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) acknowledged in a 2022 report that tracking military aid and equipment over the years was poorly managed.
The Pentagon and other US agencies involved had reportedly failed to maintain accurate records of hardware distributed to Afghan forces.
Former SIGAR head John Sopko described any effort to retrieve these weapons as pointless, arguing that the cost of recovery would far exceed the value of the weapons.
While former US President Donald Trump had pledged to reclaim the estimated $85 billion in military equipment, the actual figure remains under dispute.
Despite US claims that certain advanced military systems had been disabled prior to withdrawal, multiple sources suggest that Taliban forces have made extensive use of functional vehicles, small arms, and logistics equipment left behind.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said the weapons were seized from the previous administration and would be used to defend the country and counter any threats.
Despite US claims that certain advanced military systems had been disabled prior to withdrawal, multiple sources suggest that Taliban forces have made extensive use of functional vehicles, small arms, and logistics equipment left behind.
As regional security deteriorates, concerns are mounting over the long-term consequences of this abandoned US arsenal—now dispersed, traded, and weaponised far beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Islamabad-based security analyst and author Imtiaz Gul sees it as an intriguing move by the United States, saying that the American army either destroyed its key weapons or took them along before the withdrawal.
“However, even before the US exit, desertion was common among Afghan army personnel, reaching up to 40 per cent. During such desertions, soldiers would often sell their weapons.”
He believes there is a strong possibility that these weapons were sold on the black market. “However, to the best of my knowledge, the weapons that fell into the hands of the Afghan Taliban remain intact,” he says.
Given that Afghanistan has witnessed decades of continuous warfare, he argues that such incidents are not particularly surprising.
