Large Batch of US-Made Weapons & Military Gear Seized at Pak-Afghan Border

A significant number of weapons manufactured in the United States were confiscated at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday.

The weapons trafficking bid was impeded at one of the major international border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan known as Torkham, located around 55 Km west of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.

Previous media reports had also uncovered that the US weapons were being used in terror activities in Pakistan.

This comes a day after a terrorist attack claimed the lives 23 soldiers in Dera Ismail Khan (DIK), as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa grapples with a worsening law and order situation. The region of Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KPK is currently confronting escalating challenges regarding law and order.

According to media reports , when the US military withdrew from Afghanistan, they left behind weaponry and equipment worth at least $7 billion that have the potential to end up in the hands of terrorsits operating in the region.

The cost of abandoned weapons is estimated to be in tens of billions of dollars, and this includea a variety of military equipment such as aircraft, missiles, vehicles, small arms and ammunition, and communication equipment.

The latest seizure at Torkham included an assortment of arms: high-powered assault rifles like the M4, along with night vision gear, laser devices, and a large quantity of ammunition. These were discovered in a vehicle that appeared to be carrying vegetable onions.

Last week, a terrorst attacked succumbed 23 Pakistani soldier lives, and at the meanwhile, Pakistan has demanded that the Taliban* government in neighboring Afghanistan take immediate action in apprehending and handing over the individuals responsible for the suicide bombing in Dera Ismail Khan.

The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan**, a terrorist group linked with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)**, has claimed responsibility for the tragic suicide attack.

The recent seizure of US-made arms in Afghanistan highlights the issue of cross-border trafficking and undermines the claims made by the Taliban government.

These arms, estimated more than billion dollars, were left in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul and early US withdrawal in August 2021, and these terrorist activities in Pakistan are the result of the US Legacy in the region. Thus, the Pakistan has been urging and demanding Afghanistan to take action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and prevent the smuggling of arms into Pakistan.

The recent development follows Pakistan's sharing of evidence regarding Afghan nationals' involvement in terrorism and the use of American’s advanced weapons in the past. A previous report had already highlighted the threat posed by these abandoned weapons to regional security.