Mubashar Nadeem
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s recent diplomatic outreach to Kabul is being hailed as a step forward in mending Pakistan-Afghanistan relations. While symbolic handshakes and cooperative language offer hope for mutual peace and development, they must not distract from a far more pressing concern: the alarming spread of advanced American weapons into the hands of militant groups operating in South and Central Asia.
This issue is not speculative—it is substantiated by multiple credible sources and is escalating in severity. After the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, an estimated $7 billion worth of military equipment was left behind, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Much of this arsenal, originally intended to equip the now-defunct Afghan National Army, has fallen into the control of the Afghan Taliban. Even more troubling is the emergence of these very weapons in the arsenals of violent non-state actors like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and affiliates of Al-Qaeda.
The BBC reports that around half of the one million weapons left in Afghanistan are currently “unaccounted for.” These include lethal arms such as M4 and M16 rifles, night vision gear, and sophisticated surveillance tools. While the Afghan Taliban denies transferring these weapons, the evidence on the ground tells a different story. The BLA’s recent attack on the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan reportedly involved such American-made weapons, underscoring the real and immediate danger these tools now pose to Pakistan’s national security.
Pakistan has repeatedly voiced these concerns on international platforms. During a recent call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar once again raised the urgency of the situation. The response from Washington has so far been diplomatic but largely passive. Statements of concern alone are insufficient when the regional and global implications of these weapons are so dire.
The growing presence of advanced U.S. weaponry in the hands of hostile groups should serve as a wake-up call for the international community. The Taliban’s refusal to return or even account for this equipment—while paradoxically requesting more sophisticated arms to combat Daesh—is both irresponsible and dangerous. It suggests not just a security oversight but a lack of basic accountability that the world cannot afford to ignore.
To address this looming threat, Pakistan has proposed the formation of a trilateral commission involving the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The primary goal of this body would be to audit, trace, and retrieve the unaccounted weapons. Such a commission could serve as a functional step toward rebuilding trust and promoting regional cooperation while sending a strong message that global powers take the consequences of their military actions seriously.
This crisis also challenges the broader international community, especially the United Nations, which has a moral and strategic responsibility to intervene. Allowing sophisticated arms to circulate among groups that openly defy state authority is a threat not just to South Asia, but to global security as a whole. Inaction risks emboldening militancy and setting dangerous precedents for future conflicts where arms are left behind without controls.
The implications extend beyond national borders. With these weapons in circulation, regional conflicts can become more deadly, and cross-border terrorism harder to contain. This could destabilize fragile governments, intensify insurgencies, and potentially draw neighboring states into escalated military engagements. The cost of inaction is too great to bear, especially when the threat can still be contained through coordinated international pressure and action.
Furthermore, the argument that these militant groups are growing stronger not just ideologically but militarily thanks to abandoned American hardware should give policymakers in Washington pause. If groups like the TTP are now better armed than some formal armies, as some analysts suggest, the legacy of the U.S. withdrawal becomes not just a strategic failure but a moral one as well.
To avoid further catastrophe, the United States must lead a coordinated effort to neutralize this threat. This means pressuring the Afghan Taliban to disclose detailed inventories of their weapons stockpiles, enabling verification by international agencies, and creating protocols for the decommissioning or safe return of these arms. A concerted push through the UN Security Council or regional forums like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) could lend legitimacy and urgency to this effort.
Crucially, the distinction must be made between legitimate efforts to stabilize Afghanistan and the irresponsible dispersal of weapons to groups that undermine regional peace. Aid, whether military or humanitarian, must come with enforceable conditions and monitoring mechanisms. The current approach of appeasement or strategic ambiguity is not only flawed—it is dangerously complacent.
For Pakistan, the consequences are already clear. Cross-border attacks are on the rise, security forces are increasingly targeted, and the country’s internal security apparatus is stretched thin. The instability also diverts attention and resources from critical areas like development, education, and governance, weakening the country’s ability to address its own systemic challenges.
Afghanistan, too, suffers from this dynamic. As long as its soil is used by armed groups to launch attacks or destabilize neighboring countries, it risks further isolation, reduced international aid, and prolonged internal conflict. The Taliban’s credibility as a governing body depends not only on its domestic policies but on its willingness to engage in responsible regional diplomacy.
Ultimately, the world faces a clear choice. Either act decisively now to prevent a flood of advanced weapons from fuelling more chaos, or ignore the warning signs and face the consequences later. There is still time to contain this threat—but it is running out.
The issue of missing U.S. weapons in Afghanistan is no longer a regional footnote; it is a global flashpoint. Pakistan’s warnings must not fall on deaf ears. The international community, led by the United States, must turn rhetoric into action and prevent a dangerous legacy from becoming a catastrophic future.
