A large number of Taliban weapons have gone missing, been smuggled, or sold to militant groups. According to sources speaking to the BBC, nearly half a million of these arms are now untraceable. The United Nations believes that some of these arms have ended up with al-Qaeda-linked groups.
In 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, they seized around one million weapons and military assets. Most of this gear had been funded and supplied by the United States. A former Afghan official, who requested anonymity, confirmed this information to the BBC.
As the Taliban advanced rapidly across Afghanistan, many Afghan troops either surrendered or fled. In doing so, they abandoned countless weapons and military vehicles. Some of this equipment had also been left behind by retreating US forces.
The captured stockpile included American-made M4 and M16 rifles. It also featured older firearms that had remained in Afghan possession from earlier decades of war.
Last year, during a confidential UN Security Council Sanctions Committee meeting in Doha, Taliban representatives admitted that nearly half of these Taliban weapons could no longer be accounted for. A committee member verified this information with other independent sources, confirming that about 500,000 military items are now missing.
In a February report, the UN claimed that radical groups are now accessing or purchasing these Taliban weapons through black market channels. These include al-Qaeda-linked outfits like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and Yemen’s Ansarullah group.
The BBC raised these serious concerns with Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban regime. He responded by denying any smuggling or misplacement. “All light and heavy weapons are securely stored. We strongly reject claims of smuggling or loss,” he stated.
Despite this official denial, the concerns remain. The trail of these Taliban weapons continues to raise alarms, especially as militant factions across the region grow stronger. Analysts warn that these missing arms could fuel fresh waves of violence.
