APPARENTLY, the US and western world disconnected from Afghan Taliban Government after withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. The United States even froze $9.5 billion in Afghan Central Bank assets of Afghanistan on August 18, 2021. US Authorities desired that these assets should be under their control rather at the disposal of Afghan Taliban Government. Washington however maintained covert relationship with Afghan Taliban Government and made use of various humanitarian agencies of the United Nations and NGOs for the economic survival of the Taliban Government and the Afghan masses after its military withdrawal from Afghan soil. Indeed, Taliban officials and leadership have been meeting with US officials in Doha, Qatar and elsewhere besides covert relationship. The State Department called the post-2021 US-Afghan Taliban relations a ‘pragmatic engagement’ since there has been no disconnection between the Taliban and the US despite its pull-out from that country. The smartness of US diplomacy is that, besides the Taliban Government, it is maintaining close collaboration with various political, religious and social groups in Afghanistan. US has goodwill relations within Afghan civil society.
While withdrawing from Afghanistan, the US military has left a considerable number of arms and ammunition in that country. This included the most modern and sophisticated weapon systems, surveillance systems, Night Vision Goggles and aircraft. US Military claims that most of the aircrafts were demilitarized and rendered inoperable before the withdrawal. Nevertheless, the outlawed TTP (Fitna Al Khawarij) terrorists had access to weapons left by the United States in Afghanistan. The supply of arms to the Fitna Al Khawarij has significantly jeopardized the security situation of the region; particularly, a significant increase in terrorism is being witnessed, particularly in Pakistan. There has been unprecedented increase in the terrorism in Pakistan which is being perpetrated from Afghan soil with TTP terrorists (Fitna al Khawarij) at the forefront. They use this US military equipment against Pakistani military and civilian population during their terrorist attacks.
According to the US Department of Defence, “U.S military equipment worth $7.12 billion” was left behind by the former Afghan government at the time of the pull-out of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. According to a report by the Voice of America, the Pentagon downplayed the report that Afghan Taliban fighters got access to more than $7.12 billion worth of US military equipment at the time of the fall of the Ashraf Ghani Government in August 2021. Pentagon, however, admits that this entire war munitions was given to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) by the US. Pakistani security officials reported that Fitna Al Khawarij terrorists use American war munitions against Pakistan. Pakistani security agencies got hold of these war munitions from the possession of arrested Fitna Al Khawarij terrorists or else from those killed during various terrorist attacks on Pakistani security forces. These modern and sophisticated American-made weapons include: a) Thermal vision equipped rifles and helmets, b) Laser sights and suppressed rifles, c) M24 sniper rifles and M4 carbines with Trijicon ACOG scopes, d) DShKM heavy machine guns, e) 107mm Type 85 single-tube rocket launchers and f) M16A4 rifles with thermal scopes.
The Defence Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Asif has acknowledged the use of these US-made sophisticated weapons systems by Fitna Al Khawarij against Pakistani security forces. Indeed, with the use of these modern American weapons, the lethality and accuracy of the Fitna Al Khawarij terrorists have increased manifold. The security officials of Pakistan say that by using US-made night vision devices, the terrorists of Fitna Al Khawarij can see and engage Pakistani security personnel from long distances (ranges) very effectively causing maximum human losses. Indeed, all these American-made weapons and equipment have given much edge to terrorist groups. Indeed, American Military has left behind a huge weapons and equipment in Afghanistan at the time of its withdrawal besides, the war munitions used by Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
Nevertheless, there exists a controversy over the weapons left behind by the US Military during its final withdrawal in August 2021. Details of these weapons are covered in the abovementioned paragraph. President Joe Biden was in denial mode to accept that the US Military could leave behind such a heavy number of weapons at the time of its withdrawal. Pentagon, however, revealed this in its reports to Congress with contradictions. Afghan Taliban Government officials however confessed the seizure of US weapons at the time of their takeover in August 2021 as: a) Light Arms: 300,000, b) Heavy Weapons: 26,000 and Military Vehicles: 61,000.
Afghan Taliban Government was in complete control of the military equipment, left behind by American and NATO forces. This war munitions remained in their control and later they handed over a certain number of this military equipment to TTP terrorist (Fitna Al Khawarij) for undertaking the terrorism in Pakistan. The controversy over this US military equipment and its usage by TTP terrorists gives rise to many questions. It leads towards certain hypotheses like; a) The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 did not take place in haste, rather it was a well-planned event, b) There were no solid reasons of leaving behind heavy military equipment by American and NATO forces in Afghanistan at the time of their withdrawal, c) US and NATO forces knew that, this left over military equipment will be taken over by Taliban Government of Afghanistan that has been fighting against them since 2001, d) Why American Arms Services Committee didn’t take action against those responsible for leaving behind this huge US military equipment e) Why US President Joe Biden didn’t question Pentagon about this military equipment and just denied the reality, f) There must have been covert objectives for the usage of this sophisticated US military equipment at the subsequent phase.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
