A recent report by a Britain’s public broadcaster, the BBC, has stated that the Taliban have sold or smuggled approximately 500,000 American-made weapons to terrorist groups since their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.
These weapons-left behind by US forces-have since gone missing and are now allegedly in the hands of terrorist groups, including those linked to al-Qaeda, the report added.
Citing a United Nations report, the outlet noted that the Taliban themselves have admitted being unable to account for nearly half of the US-supplied military equipment.
The UN report further alleges that Taliban leadership allowed local commanders to retain up to 20% of the US weaponry, which contributed to widespread black market sales. 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.
