London, April 18, 2025: The Taliban has allegedly sold or smuggled nearly 500,000 U.S.-origin weapons to various terrorist groups since seizing control of Afghanistan in 2021, according to a BBC investigation drawing on United Nations sources and field reporting.
The weapons—originally left behind by withdrawing U.S. forces—have reportedly ended up in the hands of militant organizations, including al-Qaeda affiliates, significantly boosting their firepower. The UN report cited by the BBC revealed that the Taliban has admitted it cannot account for almost half of the U.S.-supplied equipment inherited after the collapse of the previous Afghan government.
Taliban leadership allegedly permitted local commanders to retain up to 20% of the captured U.S. arsenal, facilitating the flow of arms into black markets and enabling large-scale redistribution.
According to a local journalist in Kandahar, American-made weapons were openly sold in local bazaars during the first year of Taliban rule before such trade shifted underground under international scrutiny.
Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat denied all allegations, calling them “baseless propaganda” and asserting that all military equipment is secured.
However, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) previously warned that nearly 250,000 firearms, 18,000 night-vision devices, and vast quantities of other equipment were left behind—an arsenal comparable in scale to that of the U.S. Marine Corps. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that equipment worth $85 billion was abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal.
International observers warn that this massive redistribution of U.S. weapons poses a serious risk to regional and global security, potentially enhancing the capabilities of militant groups in Pakistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
In Pakistan, security agencies have repeatedly recovered American weapons—including M4 carbines, M16A4 rifles, M32 grenade launchers, and night vision gear—in counterterror operations. These weapons were found in high-profile incidents like The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attack on a naval base in Turbat, an attempted assault on the Gwadar Port Authority and militant raids in North Waziristan, Bajaur, Zhob, and Mir Ali
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has called the spread of these weapons a “grave national security threat”.
Adding to the alarm, a Washington Post investigation confirmed that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants used U.S.-origin M16 rifles in the March 11 bombing of the Jaffar Express. Serial numbers on recovered rifles matched those from U.S. military inventories.
As concerns rise over the uncontrolled spread of advanced weaponry, international experts are urging for enhanced arms monitoring systems and diplomatic efforts to pressure the Taliban into greater transparency and control over former U.S. stockpiles.
