According to British media reports, weapons left behind in Afghanistan have been either lost, sold, or smuggled to militant groups. The BBC, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Taliban admitted during a closed-door session of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee last year that nearly half of the one million weapons and military equipment they had taken control of were now unaccounted for.
Sources revealed that following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, they acquired control of nearly one million weapons and military supplies. Many Afghan soldiers abandoned their arms and vehicles during the Taliban’s advance, and some of the equipment was left behind by the withdrawing US forces.
These weapon stockpiles included American-made arms such as M4 and M16 rifles, alongside older weapons that had accumulated over decades of war. The BBC’s sources confirmed that around 500,000 items have either disappeared or are now being used by other militant organizations.
In February, a UN report stated that groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthis), had gained access to these weapons or were purchasing them via black markets.
When questioned by the BBC, Taliban deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat insisted that all weapons were securely stored and that they took the security of military equipment seriously. He strongly denied any claims of smuggling or destruction.
However, a 2023 UN report revealed that Taliban commanders were allowed to keep 20% of the seized US weapons, which helped fuel a growing black market. These local commanders, though affiliated with the Taliban, operate with significant autonomy in their regions.
The United Nations noted that gifting weapons to strengthen alliances among local commanders and fighters was a common practice, making the black market a steady source of arms for the Taliban. A former journalist from Kandahar told the BBC that for about a year after the Taliban’s takeover, there was an open arms market in the city. It later moved underground, operating through messaging platforms like WhatsApp, where wealthy buyers and local commanders now trade modern American weaponry.
The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported fewer weapons than the sources cited by the BBC. However, a 2022 report admitted that accurate tracking was difficult due to inconsistent funding and supply by various US agencies over the years.
SIGAR also highlighted long-standing issues and flaws in the Department of Defense’s methods of tracking military equipment in Afghanistan. Additionally, the US State Department was criticized for providing limited, inaccurate, and delayed information about the equipment and funds left behind, a claim the department has denied.
This issue has become politically charged, with former US President Donald Trump repeatedly asserting that the US left behind military equipment worth $85 billion. He stated during a cabinet meeting that Afghanistan had become one of the biggest arms sellers in the world by trading the very equipment the US had abandoned.
Trump expressed a desire to retrieve the military hardware, even if it meant compensating for it. However, experts, including former SIGAR chief John Sopko, believe that reclaiming the equipment is practically impossible and would cost more than it’s worth.
Despite Pentagon claims in 2021 that all abandoned equipment had been rendered inoperable, the Taliban have successfully assembled a functioning army using those same arms. They’ve gained dominance over rival groups like the National Resistance Front and ISIS-K.
According to sources from the former Afghan government, hundreds of unused Humvees, MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles), and Black Hawk helicopters remain in storage in Kandahar. Though the Taliban have showcased some of these in propaganda videos, they lack the trained personnel and technical skills to maintain or operate advanced machinery like Black Hawk helicopters, most of which remain non-functional.
However, the Taliban have effectively utilized simpler military vehicles and small arms like Humvees and rifles in their operations. While Trump’s determination to recover US weaponry remains, concerns about arms proliferation and access by militant groups in the region continue to grow unresolved.
