Editorial
The alarming revelations from a recent Washington Post investigation have once again exposed the dangerous consequences of the United States’ hasty and disorganized withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Sophisticated American military equipment, including M16 rifles, night-vision devices, and thermal optics, are now in the hands of militant groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). These weapons, once meant for Afghan forces, are now being used against Pakistan, with deadly consequences—as seen in the March 11 Jaffar Express attack.
According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the U.S. left behind enough firepower—around 250,000 firearms and 18,000 night-vision devices—to arm the entire U.S. Marine Corps. That staggering volume is not just a logistical oversight; it’s a security nightmare for the entire region.
Pl subscribe to the YouTube channel of republicpolicy.com for quality podcasts:
Despite Pakistan’s repeated warnings and the clear evidence—down to the serial numbers of seized weapons—U.S. officials continue to downplay the threat, calling the recovered items a “minuscule portion.” Such dismissiveness ignores the lives being lost on Pakistani soil due to these very weapons.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for the Afghan interim government to honor the Doha agreement and prevent their land from being used for cross-border terrorism is justified—and urgent. However, Pakistan cannot rely solely on verbal commitments. It must push for international accountability, not only from the Afghan side but also from the U.S., whose abandoned arsenal has been co-opted by terrorists.
The time for diplomatic niceties is over. The safety of Pakistani citizens is at stake, and the international community must not turn a blind eye to the very real and violent consequences of careless foreign policy decisions. The weapons left behind in Kabul are now echoing in Quetta, Peshawar, and beyond—and that should concern everyone.
