US weapons abandoned in Afghanistan now in hands of militants: report

ISLAMABAD: A staggering half a million weapons, originally part of the vast arsenal seized by the Taliban when they regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, are now lost, sold, or being smuggled to militant groups, according to sources who spoke anonymously to the BBC.

The alarming revelation, corroborated by the United Nations, suggests that some of these United States-funded arms have even fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda affiliates.

When the Taliban swept through Afghanistan in 2021, they gained control of approximately one million weapons and pieces of US military equipment, a former Afghan official revealed, speaking anonymously to the BBC. This cache included sophisticated American-made firearms like M4 and M16 rifles, alongside older weapons.

Sources privy to a closed-door UN Security Council’s Sanctions Committee meeting in Doha late last year revealed that the Taliban themselves admitted that at least half a million items of this equipment — a staggering 500,000 items — are now “unaccounted” for.

Additionally, a UN report released in February stated that Al-Qaeda affiliates, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, are gaining access to Taliban-captured weapons either directly or through the thriving black market. When confronted with these findings by the BBC, Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, vehemently denied the claims. “All light and heavy weapons are securely stored. We strongly reject claims of smuggling or loss,” he asserted. However, a 2023 UN report contradicted this, stating that the Taliban allowed local commanders, who often operate with significant autonomy, to retain 20pc of seized US weapons, fuelling the black market. Adding to these concerns, a former journalist from Kandahar revealed that an open arms market flourished in the city for a year following the Taliban takeover, only recently moving underground and operating via WhatsApp. While figures from the US body overseeing Afghan reconstruction projects (Sigar) record a lower number of weapons supplied, a 2022 Sigar report acknowledged their inability to obtain accurate information due to the diverse US departments and organisations involved in funding and supplying equipment over the years. The issue remains politically charged, with US President Donald Trump vowing to reclaim the weaponry, estimated at $85 billion, though this figure is disputed. The Taliban responded to Trump’s claims with their spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stating that they would use the weapons, which the Taliban often parade as a symbol of victory over the US, to defend the country. Former head of Sigar, John Sopko, deems any attempt to reclaim the weapons “pointless”, arguing the cost would outweigh the value.