A recentt BBC report claims that the Taliban sold around 500,000 American-made weapons to terrorist groups since taking over Afghanistan in 2021. These weapons, left behind by U.S. forces, are now reportedly in the hands of groups linked to al-Qaeda. The United Nations also confirmed that the Taliban cannot account for nearly half of the U.S.-supplied military equipment.
The UN noted that Taliban leaders allowed local commanders to keep up to 20% of U.S. weapons, leading to extensive black market sales. A local journalist in Kandahar stated that American arms were openly sold in markets for a year after the Taliban regained power, though transactions later moved underground.
The Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat, denied the accusations, claiming that all weapons are secure and calling the allegations baseless. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction estimated that about 250,000 firearms along with night-vision devices were left behind, comparable to the arsenal of the U.S. Marine Corps.
These weapons pose a serious security threat, particularly in Pakistan, where officials note that U.S.-origin arms have been linked to recent terrorist attacks. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry emphasized the need for stricter monitoring of arms to prevent misuse and to enhance national security.
