American weapons left in Afghanistan were sold to militia groups, BBC sources report

Half a million A weapon received by the Taliban in Afghanistan was lost, sold or smuggled Groups, sources, BBC reported – from the UN believing that some fell into the hands of al -Kaid branches.

Taliban took about a million weapons and pieces of military equipment – which are mostly funded by the United States – if it returned control over Afghanistan in 2021According to former Afghan officials who spoke anonymously with the BBC.

When the Taliban advanced through Afghanistan in 2021, many Afghan soldiers surrendered or escaped, abandoning weapons and vehicles. Some equipment just left behind the US.

The cache included American firearms, such as M4 and M16 rifles, as well as other senior weapons in Afghan possessions that have remained due to decades of conflicts.

The sources reported the BBC that at the end of last year, the Taliban admitted that at least half of this equipment was “excluding” at the UN Council on the UN Security Council.

A person from the committee stated that checks with other sources that the location of half a million subjects was unknown.

In the report in FebruaryThe UN said al-Qaeda branches, including Tehurek-e-Toliban Pakistan, Uzbek Movement, Islamic East Turkestan movement and Ansarula Yemen movement, had access to the weapons that caused the Taliban or buying them on the black market.

The BBC put it the deputy press -secretary of the Taliban Hamdoule Petter Government, who told the BBC that she had taken the protection and storage of weapons very seriously.

“All light and heavy weapons are reliable. We urge the claims to smuggle or loss,” he said.

In 2023 the postponement He said the Taliban allowed the local commanders to retain 20% of the US seized weapons and that the black market was thrive. These commanders are related to the Taliban, but often have some autonomy in their regions.

The UN noted that “a weapon gift is widely practiced between local commanders and fighters for consolidation. The black market remains a rich source of weapons for the Taliban.”

The former journalist in Kandahar told the BBC that the open weapons market existed within a year after the Taliban absorption, but has since went underground through WhatsApp messaging. On it wealthy people and local commanders trade new and used American weapons and equipment – mostly weapons left by the US supported.

Number of weapons recorded by an American body controlling Afghan restoration projects known as Sigar, lower than those cited by our sources but In the 2022 report He acknowledged that it failed to get accurate information.

The reason for this was that the equipment was funded and provided by various departments and organizations of the United States for many years.

Siga added that there were “deficiencies and problems with the Ministry’s Defense Problems) to track the equipment in Afghanistan.”

He also criticized the State Department, adding: “The state provided us with limited, inaccurate and late information about the equipment and the means it left behind.” The Department denied that this is the case.

This is a very political problem, and US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he would return weapons from Afghanistan. He said there were $ 85 billion (66 billion pounds).

“Afghanistan is one of the largest military equipment in the world.

“I want to look into it. If we need to pay them, it’s okay, but we want to return our military equipment.”

The president’s indicator was disputed because the money spent in Afghanistan also financed training and salaries. Also in Afghanistan did not perform at the Stockholm International Peace Studies Top 25 largest exporters Last year.

In response to Trump’s comments, Taliban Mujul Mujuhid, the chief press -secretary of Taliban, said that Afghan television: “We seized the weapons in the previous administration and use them to protect the country and resist any threat.”

The Taliban regularly pleased the US weapons, including at the Bagram airfield, which served as the US-NATO main base, and means them as symbols of victory and legitimacy.

Following the withdrawal in 2021, the Pentagon claimed that the US equipment left in Afghanistan has been disabled, but since then the Taliban built a capable military man and gained advantage over the rival groups, such as the National Islamic State Horassan, a regional partner.

The source of the former Afghan government told the BBC that “hundreds” unused Humvees, resistant to the ambush, protected by cars (Mraps), and Black Hawk helicopters remain at Kandahar’s warehouses.

The Taliban demonstrated some of this captured equipment in propaganda videos, but their ability to work and maintain advanced machines such as Black Hawk helicopters, limited due to lack of trained staff and technical experience. Most of this complex equipment remains unnecessary.

However, the Taliban were able to use simpler equipment like Humvees and small arms in their operations.

While Donald Trump seems to be determined to return American weapons from Afghanistan, former Sigar leader John Sopko says such an attempt will be meaningless.

At a recent event conducted by Afghanistan strategic research, he stated that “the cost will exceed its actual value.”

Whether Trump will take any action will still have to be considered, but in the meantime, the concern for the distribution of weapons in the region and the access from the militants remain unresolved.