KARACHI: The United States military withdrawal from Afghanistan left behind military equipment and weapons worth $7 billion which boosted the military capabilities of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups, according to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFERL).
The report revealed that the US left behind a vast array of weapons and equipment, including firearms, communications gear, and armored vehicles. These weapons have given the militants a “vast war chest” and added to the lethality of such groups, said Asfandyar Mir, a senior analyst at the United States Institute of Peace.
Despite Kabul’s claims that the TTP was not using Afghan soil against Pakistan, the RFERL report rejected these claims, stating that the presence of the TTP, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan was an undeniable reality.
Using US weapons and equipment, both the TTP and Baloch separatist groups were waging insurgencies against the government in Pakistan, leading to a surge in violence over the past two years, according to the report.
The report also revealed that armed groups had obtained advanced US weapons and equipment like M16 machine guns and M4 assault rifles, night-vision goggles, and military communication gear. The Taliban spokesperson, however, denied claims that it had supplied the TTP fighters with US weapons and equipment.
“If some weapons are being smuggled, they are far fewer and not of much concern,” the report quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, as saying.
