Sophisticated US military equipment left behind during the US withdrawal of 2021 from Afghanistan, is increasingly used by militants in Pakistan, including Tehrik-in-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), according to a Washington Post study.
Weapons such as M16 Rifles, PVS-14 Night Visual Units and Thermal Optics-uprightel intended for Afghan forces-have appeared in the recent cross-border attacks. The March 11 bombing of the Jaffar Express train involved rifles of US origin, Pakistani authorities confirmed.
Investigators quoted serial numbers on two rifles used in the attack traced back to US military warehouses. The special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (Sigar) estimates about 250,000 firearms and 18,000 night vision systems were left behind, an arsenal comparable to that in the US Marine Corps.
“The presence of American advanced weapons … has been a matter of in -depth concern about the security and security of Pakistan,” said the Pakistani Foreign Ministry in documents from January seen by investigators.
US President Donald Trump reinstated in February and said, “We left billions, tens of thousands of billions of dollar equipment behind … all the top-of-the-line things.” However, the Pentagon officials neglected the extent of the problem and described recovered weapons as “a minuscule part” of the overall abandoned arsenal.
