US ‘arms left behind being used by terrorists’ against Pak

Report rejects Afghan claims TTP not using its soil against Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

After the United States pulled out its troops from Afghanistan, it left behind military equipment and weapons worth $7 billion which later 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 US left behind weapons and equipment, including firearms, communications gear, and even armored vehicles which gave the militants a “vast war chest”.

Pakistan always desired not to indulge in blame game with Afghanistan and had repeatedly urged the interim Afghan government to establish its writ in the country.

The RFERL report rejected Kabul’s claims that the TTP was not using the Afghan soil against Pakistan as the presence of the TTP, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan was an undeniable reality.

The report said that using the US weapons and equipment, both the TTP and Baloch separatist groups were waging insurgencies against the government in Pakistan, which witnessed a surge in violence over the past two years.

“These weapons have added to the lethality of such groups,” Asfandyar Mir, a senior analyst at the United States Institute of Peace, said.

Experts said armed groups had obtained advanced US weapons and equipment like M16 machine guns and M4 assault rifles, night-vision goggles, and military communication gear.

Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher who tracks the TTP, said the group’s access to sophisticated combat weapons had had a “terrifying” impact, especially on the lesser-equipped police force in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), a think tank in Islamabad, the number of terrorist attacks in the country increased by 27 per cent last year compared to 2021. At least 419 people were killed, while 734 injured in 262 terrorist attacks last year.

The Taliban spokesperson however rejected 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.