US Weapons Left in Afghanistan Reportedly Used in Deadly Pakistan Attacks
More than half a million U.S.-supplied weapons left behind in Afghanistan following the 2021 withdrawal have been lost, sold, or smuggled by the Taliban, according to a BBC investigation and UN Security Council reports. The weapons, ranging from M4 and M16 rifles to grenade launchers and mortars, are reportedly now in the hands of regional militant groups.
The Taliban seized control of an estimated one million weapons and military assets originally supplied by the United States to the Afghan National Army. As Afghan forces surrendered or fled during the Taliban’s rapid offensive in 2021, much of this equipment was left behind. Some were also abandoned by U.S. forces during their hasty evacuation from Kabul.
A former Afghan official told the BBC that half of this equipment is now “unaccounted for,” a claim reportedly acknowledged by Taliban officials during a closed-door UN Sanctions Committee meeting in Doha in late 2023.
The Taliban government denied these allegations. “All light and heavy weapons are securely stored. We strongly reject claims of smuggling or loss,” said Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, in a statement to the BBC.
Multiple sources have confirmed the presence of U.S.-made arms with militant groups outside Afghanistan. In Pakistan, security officials say the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has benefited significantly from access to American weaponry, leading to increased attacks on Pakistani forces.
The Pakistani military reportedly recovered dozens of M16 and M4 rifles and night-vision devices after recent operations, including a deadly hostage situation aboard the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan on March 11.
The Washington Post reported that an M4A1 rifle recovered at the Jaffar Express attack site was traced back to equipment originally provided to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. According to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations, 33 militants were killed during the two-day clearance operation that followed the ambush, which initially left 21 civilians dead and several others held hostage.
“After the Jaffar Express attack, Pakistani officials provided serial numbers for three American rifles allegedly used by the attackers,” The Washington Post reported. “At least two came from U.S. stocks and had been provided to Afghan forces.”
Advanced weaponry such as FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles have also reportedly surfaced in militant propaganda. Pakistan’s The News International reported that footage released by the TTP in 2023 showed fighters training with Javelin systems, which are valued at over $160,000 each.
The flow of these weapons is not limited to Pakistan. The UN has cited reports that groups including al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement have accessed Taliban-captured arms, either directly or via black market sales.
Pakistani officials report that weapons markets along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, particularly in Darra Adam Khel, experienced a surge in American arms inventory immediately following the Taliban takeover.
“The market was flooded with American weapons,” said Raz Muhammad, a longtime weapons trader interviewed by The Washington Post. Night-vision goggles that typically retail for $2,000 were reportedly being sold for as little as $300 in 2021.
According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), more than $7 billion in U.S. military equipment remained in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal. The report also criticized the Pentagon’s failure to track small arms, citing poor recordkeeping and inconsistencies in databases.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has described the influx of U.S. weapons into militant hands as “an issue of profound concern.” In a recent call between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
U.S. President Donald Trump has previously called for the retrieval of the equipment, stating in February, “Afghanistan is one of the biggest sellers of military equipment in the world. I want to look into this… we want our military equipment back.”
