The Tactics Institute for Security and Counter-Terrorism is gravely concerned about the large-scale distribution of sophisticated American weapons abandoned in Afghanistan after the United States’s 2021 retreat. The weapons, which were intended for the Afghan National Army, ended up with extremist groups such as the Afghan Interim Government (AIG) and the Freedom Army of Khorasan (FAK) and currently threaten the stability of the region.
Over the two decades of the American presence in Afghanistan, almost 427,300 of America’s arms were supplied to the Afghan National Army. Nearly 300,000 of them, though, were left behind with the precipitous American withdrawal. Those advanced weapons, such as M4 Carbine rifles, grenades, and other sophisticated equipment, are being shipped by the FAK to terrorist groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The latest events underscore the gravity of the situation. Pakistani security and customs officials on December 13, 2024, stopped an Afghan vehicle and found a shipment of new American-made weapons hidden in onion sacks. This blatant action underscores the ease with which these weapons are being smuggled across borders to empower terrorism and threaten civilian lives.
The Tactics Institute calls for immediate international attention and coordinated action to address this escalating threat. The Institute demands Afghanistan and Pakistan strengthen border vigilance to end the cross-border arms smuggling. The United Nations and international communities ought to start investigations into diversion of U.S. weapons and aid to extremists.
Action must be taken to find and claim abandoned weapon caches in Afghanistan to keep them from further abuse. More stringent controls must be put on UN aid to Afghanistan so it will actually end up among the people who need it and not among extremist groups. Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the border countries need to have diplomatic negotiations to address shared security issues and develop trust.
The unregulated spread of unclaimed U.S. arms poses a crisis bigger than borders and endangers the peace and stability of South Asia. The Tactics Institute calls for the international community to move boldly and quickly against this situation so that it no longer destabilizes the region further. Silence and inaction merely encourage extremist networks and fuel the cycle of violence.
