US military equipment abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan is reportedly fueling regional and global terrorism through a combination of intentional sales, illicit black markets, and internal Taliban mismanagement. Recent investigations from 2025 and 2026 indicate that approximately half a million pieces of weaponry have been lost, sold, or smuggled since the withdrawal. This factor alone has deeply impacted the nature of cross-border terrorism spiraling in two provinces of Pakistan ie Baluchistan and KPK.
CNN Investigative Report
A latest investigation published by CNN in current month reports that advanced US military equipment left in Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal is now driving lethal terrorism across South Asia, particularly in Pakistan. According to the report, hundreds of recovered American made rifles, machine guns, and sniper rifles stamped “Property of US Govt” have been shown to journalists, with former SIGAR head John Sopko estimating nearly 300,000 advanced weapons left back in Afghanistan at the time of apparently a hasty withdrawal. Pakistan’s stance is one of “profound concern,” as official statements increasingly frame the abandoned US arsenal as a direct threat to its national security and a primary driver of regional instability.
Arsenal Breakdown
n Total Value: Approximately $7.12 billion worth of equipment was left behind.
n Inventory Insights: This includes over 300,000 weapons, 40,000 military vehicles, and 78 aircraft.
n Lethality: Security analysts note that these advanced weapons allow militants to strike from greater distances and operate effectively at night, often outmatching the standard gear of regional security forces.
Proliferation Channels: Dark Pits in Afghanistan
n Policy of Taliban Regime: many reports revealed the involvement of Afghan interim government in the sale and smuggling of abandoned US weapons as a state policy to generate revenue.
n Decentralized Control: The Taliban leadership reportedly allows local commanders to retain up to 20% of seized weaponry. Many commanders view these as personal property and sell the weapons independently without informing the central authority.
n Thriving Black Markets: While some open arms markets in cities like Kandahar were closed, they have transitioned to underground digital platforms like WhatsApp. Markets in southern and eastern Afghanistan openly offer US-made assault rifles alongside hardware obtained from black market.
n Smuggling Networks: Weapons are trafficked through the same clandestine channels used for narcotics. The Taliban reportedly collect taxes from such like illicit trades to fill their coffers.
Key Terrorist Groups Benefiting
n Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP): The TTP has seen a significant boost in operational capacity, using U.S.-made M4 and M16 rifles, M 249 machine guns, and advanced night-vision devices in attacks against Pakistani security forces.
n Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA): Advanced equipment, including night-vision and thermal gear, has been recovered from BLA attacks on naval bases and port authorities.
n Global Endorsements: UN reports indicate that Al-Qaeda, Islamic State affiliates in Southeast Asia, and even Yemen’s Houthi movement have accessed these weapons.
Pakistan’s Stance
Amid latest revelations, the Pakistani government has intensified its diplomatic and security posture to highlight the inter-connected security concerns.
Direct Attribution to Terrorist Groups
Pakistan officially maintains that these sophisticated weapons are being used by banned organizations to conduct increasingly lethal cross-border operations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has explicitly named the Tehreek e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as the main beneficiaries. Security forces have shared recovered weapons with US markings-including M-16s, M-4s, and night-vision devices-with international journalists and foreign diplomats as “concrete proof”.
n Shift in Diplomatic Policy: Historically, Pakistan viewed this as a bilateral issue between the US and the Afghan Taliban. However, as of early 2025, Pakistan shifted to a more proactive stance basing upon understandable reason of surging cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
n Demand for Retrieval: The Foreign Office now publicly supports efforts to recover or retrieve the equipment from Afghanistan, stating it would be “helpful for the overall regional security environment”. Recovery of US made weapons from killed as well as arrested terrorists remains an undeniable justification for Pakistan’s unprecedented concerns in this complex affair.
n Appeal to Global Bodies: Islamabad has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take action, warning that the lack of global oversight has allowed a “thriving illicit trade” to empower the terrorists of various brands .
n Demands for Afghan Accountability: Pakistan frequently calls upon the interim Afghan government to fulfill its international counter terrorism commitments. Ironically, unelected regime in Kabul is persistently violating the commitments made in Doha accord about terrorism and human right. Islamabad always demands that Kabul should take “all necessary measures” to prevent these weapons from being smuggled across the border or used as tools of “external destabilizing actors”. Former officials and security experts have noted that the availability of this equipment has given terrorists a tactical advantage in rugged border regions and now the security forces are facing a hard challenge posed from the terrorists equipped with latest US inventory.
nRejection of “Double Standards”: At international forums, Pakistan has criticized what it calls “selective approaches” to counter terrorism. Central point in Pakistan’s argument is that while the global community focuses on other threats, it must not ignore the proliferation of multi-billion dollar weapons caches that directly fuel proxies in South Asia.
n Final Words: No More Inaction Growing terrorism in KP and Baluchistan is posing complex security challenges amid controversial role of Taliban regime. Nature of attacks launched by banned groups (BLA and TTP) sufficiently reflect the enhanced capabilities of terrorists. Recent coordinated terrorist attacks at 12 different places in Baluchistan could not be possible without special training , provision of sophisticated military grade weapons and flow of huge amount of funds. Weapons recovered during counter terrorism operations have further substantiated the genuine concerns of Pakistan. Similar disclosures have surfaced in recent investigative report of CNN. Unchecked cycle of terrorism thriving on arms trafficking under the nose of Taliban regime poses serious threats to regional security.
Situation is worsening with every passing day due to not so much hidden involvement of India with anti-Pakistan banned terrorist groups operating freely with connivance of unelected Taliban regime. Prolonged inaction on genuine concerns of Pakistan, especially the issues of cross-border terrorism and free flow of US left over weapons, might lead to hurt all the stakeholders at various levels.