Hundreds of thousands of US-funded weapons left behind in Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover have reportedly been lost, sold, or smuggled, with some ending up in the hands of

militant groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates, according to sources who spoke with the BBC.

When the Taliban regained control in 2021, they seized roughly one million pieces of military equipment, including American-made rifles like M4s and M16s, abandoned Humvees, and other gear left behind by retreating Afghan and US forces.

At a UN Security Council sanctions meeting in Doha in late 2023, Taliban officials reportedly admitted that at least half of this equipment is now unaccounted for. Independent sources confirmed that around 500,000 weapons and items are missing.

A UN report in February 2024 revealed that these weapons are now in circulation among various militant groups, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement. Some weapons are being sold on black markets, particularly via encrypted apps like WhatsApp.

Despite the Taliban’s public insistence that all weapons are “securely stored,” the UN has noted that local commanders—who have considerable autonomy—retain about 20% of captured US arms and freely exchange them to strengthen alliances or sell them.

Although official US figures are lower, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) admitted it could not accurately track the weapons due to inconsistent record-keeping by various US agencies over the years.

Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that $85 billion worth of US equipment was left behind and has vowed to reclaim it. However, experts argue that this figure includes far more than just weapons and that recovering them would be expensive and impractical.

Taliban spokespersons have dismissed Trump's claims, stating the weapons were taken from the former Afghan government and will be used for national defense. They have paraded US equipment, including at Bagram Airfield, as symbols of victory.

While much of the advanced gear, like Black Hawk helicopters, remains non-operational due to a lack of expertise, the Taliban has successfully deployed more accessible assets like Humvees and small arms. This has helped them gain the upper hand over rival groups like the National Resistance Front and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).

Concerns remain over the continued spread of these weapons and the strengthening of militant groups in the region. Whether the US will take steps to recover any of the equipment is still unclear. Photo by SSG Bertha A. Flores, Wikimedia commons.