US weapons left behind in Afghanistan now Taliban’s key arsenal: report

ISLAMABAD: A new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has revealed that the United States spent $14.4 billion over 20 years on rebuilding Afghanistan during the prolonged war, but billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment were left behind following the sudden US and NATO withdrawal in 2021, now forming a key part of the Taliban government’s defence infrastructure.

According to the report, the US left more than $7 billion worth of weapons in Afghanistan. During the conflict, 2,450 US soldiers were killed and over 20,000 were wounded, it said.

The SIGAR’s report stated that the US also spent billions to strengthen civil infrastructure and the now defunct Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). However, the hasty withdrawal left billions in military equipment behind. Over 20 years, the US spent $31.2 billion on Afghan forces’ infrastructure, weaponry, and transport, the report said.

The report detailed that the Afghan forces received 96,000 ground combat vehicles, over 51,000 light tactical vehicles, 23,825 high-mobility multipurpose vehicles, 900 armored combat vehicles, 427,000 firearms, over 17,000 night-vision helmets, and 162 aircraft. Before the Taliban took control of Kabul, Afghan forces had 162 US-made warplanes, 131 of which were operational, it said.

The report citing the US Department of Defence, confirmed that nearly $7 billion worth of military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan. SIGAR highlighted that US taxpayers funded this equipment, which is now in the hands of the Afghan Taliban.

Concerns About TTP Access to US Weapons

Pakistan has repeatedly expressed concern that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) may have access to the modern US weapons left in Afghanistan by the Americans. Pakistani authorities say that Afghan Taliban have been providing these weapons to TTP, which uses them in attacks inside Pakistan.

A February UN report also revealed that despite Pakistan’s pressure, the Afghan Taliban continue to fully support TTP and supply them with advanced weaponry. The report noted that Taliban control in Afghanistan has not diminished TTP’s operational capabilities, and attacks in Pakistan have increased since the Taliban takeover.

The Taliban also maintain logistical and operational cooperation with the TTP, establishing new training centers in Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika. The Taliban government, however, continues to deny these allegations, stating that Afghan territory is not used against other countries, and terrorism in Pakistan is considered a domestic issue.

US Weapons and Recent Escalations

In March, former US President Trump described the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as shameful, and highlighted concerns over military equipment left behind fueling extremism.

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office said earlier that Pakistan supports any US effort to retrieve weapons but stressed that these are bilateral matters between Afghanistan and the US. The spokesperson added, “Our concern is that these weapons have been used by terrorists inside Pakistan. Any effort to recover them would help regional security.”

Videos from recent clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani military show that most weapons used by the Taliban are light arms, with very limited use of heavy or long-range weapons. Military experts confirm that Taliban mostly use light and medium arms.

Extent of US Weapons in Taliban Hands

Over 20 years, US SIGAR and Department of Defense reports confirm that more than 1.6 million light and heavy weapons and other military equipment were supplied to the Afghan government, of which approximately 70 per cent (over 1 million weapons) ended up with the Taliban.

Currently, Taliban forces possess light arms including Kalashnikov rifles, M16s, M4s, M29 light machine guns, heavy machine guns like PKM and M240, grenade launchers, RPG-7s, AT-4 anti-tank missiles, and night-vision devices. Taliban commanders confirm that night-vision and laser-equipped weapons have been effective in recent night operations.

Experts note that US weapons left in Afghanistan are also circulating on the black market, including being smuggled into Pakistan.

Sami Yousafzai, an Afghanistan affairs analyst, says that weapons abandoned by foreign forces have historically entered black markets, citing the Soviet withdrawal as an example.

Yousafzai said that Taliban and TTP fighters have both used these weapons. While there is no direct evidence that Afghan Taliban supplied these US weapons to TTP, the conflict’s progression meant that TTP gained access to equipment left at captured Afghan checkpoints.

Afghanistan affairs analyst Tahir Khan said that Pakistan’s stance has been that the TTP is using US weapons.

Speaking to the BBC, he stated that while the US President has spoken about retrieving weapons from Bagram Airbase, it will be impossible to recover billions of dollars’ worth of equipment.

Tahir Khan noted that when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, much of the US-supplied weaponry was smuggled into Pakistan.

He said that the weapons seen in the hands of TTP fighters are primarily US-made.

Regarding options for Pakistan, Tahir Khan said, “There is no way for Pakistan to retrieve this weaponry from the TTP.”

He further explained that while the US president talks about reclaiming weapons from Bagram, the Afghan Taliban have strongly opposed this.

According to him, the Taliban consider the US weapons as ‘loot’ and will never return them to the United States.