U.S. Oversight Failures Lead to Militant Weapon Stockpiles

An astonishing amount of U.S.-provided weapons abandoned in Afghanistan after its withdrawal in 2021 had reportedly been picked up by militant groups in the region, adding to security threats and amplifying systemic failures in American oversight, a BBC investigation and U.N. reports indicate.

Upon the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban received about 500,000 firearms, including M4 and M16 rifles, along with military vehicles and equipment, that were either lost or left behind during chaos. At a private UN Security Council meeting, the Taliban, in their own words, admitted that half of those arms are "unaccounted for." Independent analysts also corroborate their dissemination to groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and the Houthis in Yemen. The UN's 2023 report stated that Taliban commanders are holding onto 20 percent of the arms they captured, and that there is a substantial illegal weapons trade based on WhatsApp and a series of covert networks in cities like Kandahar.

Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat claimed there were no losses. He stated that arms are "securely stored" but evidence showed a robust black market. U.S. oversight organizations, including the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), stated that the Pentagon and U.S. State Department had inconsistent tracking and outdated data which has made it difficult to determine the scope of the crisis. Former President Donald Trump denounced the withdrawal, claiming over $85 billion in losses that included military investments over many years, but experts say it would be "difficult and impractical" to recover the equipment.

Taliban’s military capabilities have been significantly strengthened by the weapons, as demonstrated in numerous propaganda videos in which U.S. Humvees and US firearms are displayed. Although the Taliban’s military capacity to operate advanced systems like Black Hawk helicopters is limited, the stockpiles of military equipment will solidify their hold on powerful groups like the National Resistance Front and ISIS-K. At the same time, regional militant groups are taking advantage of these U.S. arms to expand instability from Central Asia to the Middle East.