Pakistan again voices concern over US weapons ‘falling into wrong hands’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday once again raised the issue of advanced US weapons left behind in Afghanistan when American troops withdrew in 2021, which according to a US Congress report were $7.2 billion worth of aircraft, guns, vehicles, ammunition, and specialised equipment such as night vision goggles and biometric devices.

“The presence of US advance weapons in Afghanistan, left behind in the aftermath of withdrawal of its troops in August 2021, has been an issue of profound concern for the safety and security of Pakistan and its citizens,” said the Foreign Office in a statement.

“These weapons have been used by terrorist organizations, including the TTP, to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan. We have been repeatedly calling upon the de facto authorities in Kabul to take all necessary measures to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the wrong hands”, added the statement from the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office statement comes just over a week after President Donald Trump at a rally in Washington had said that future financial assistance to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the return of US military equipment by the Taliban leaders currently in power.

“They [Biden administration] gave billions of billions of dollars to the Taliban. They gave our military equipment, a big chunk of it, to the enemy. If we’re going to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we’re not going to give them the money unless they give back our military equipment. ... So, we will give them a couple of bucks; we want the military equipment back,” Trump had stated without elaborating.