‘US weapons left in Afghanistan being used by TTP for terrorism in Pakistan’

The banned Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups were using the modern weapons and military equipment — which was left behind by the US forces after the pullout from Afghanistan in 2001 — for terrorist activities inside Pakistan, according to a report by Radio Free Europe.

The US had left behind weapons and military equipment worth $7 billion which later boosted the military capabilities of the terrorist groups in Pakistan.

The report said that the US left behind firearms, communications gear, and even armoured vehicles which gave the militants a “vast war chest”.

Pakistan always desired not to indulge in a blame game with Afghanistan. The RFERL report rejected Kabul’s claims that the TTP was not using Afghan soil against Pakistan as the presence of the TTP, ISKP and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan was an undeniable reality.

The report said that using the US weapons and equipment, both the TTP and Baloch separatist groups were waging insurgencies against the government in Pakistan, which has witnessed a surge in violence over the past two years.

“These weapons have added to the lethality of such groups,” said Asfandyar Mir, a senior analyst at the United States Institute of Peace.

Experts say armed groups have obtained advanced US weapons and equipment like M16 machine guns and M4 assault rifles, night-vision goggles, and military communication gear.

Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher who tracks the TTP, said the group’s access to sophisticated combat weapons has had a “terrifying” impact, especially on the lesser-equipped police force in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), a think tank in Islamabad, the number of terrorist attacks in the country increased by 27% last year compared to 2021. At least 419 people were killed, while 734 were injured in 262 terrorist attacks last year.

The Taliban spokesperson, however, rejected claims that it has supplied TTP fighters with US weapons and equipment.

“If some weapons are being smuggled, they are far fewer and not of much concern,” the report quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said.