Arms shops spring up in Taliban group’s heartland
PANJWAI, AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban takeover may have plunged Afghanistan into uncertainty, but arms dealers in Kandahar province are certainly making the most of it.
Sandwiched between a pharmacy and a general store, arms dealer Khan Mohammad’s shop in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, is flush with fresh inventory.
Camouflage combat vests and bandoliers hung from the walls as Mohammed showed off his wares, including Us-made Smith & Wesson pistols and ammunition belts. More pistols, grenades, walkie-talkies and jars full of bullets lined the glass display in the front.
The end of the conflict has led many gun owners to feel they no longer need them, Mohammad explained. “People who have had guns at home for years are
bringing us their weapons,” he said. “We buy them and sell... to the Mujahideen,” he said, referring to the Taliban. “The Taliban don’t let anyone else take [the weapons].”
Another dealer in the dusty Panjwai market, whose shop was adorned with large Taliban flags and pictures of the group’s top leaders, had more potent offerings. They included assault
rifles - variants of the AK-47 as well as the Us-made M4 and M16 - and even light machine guns.
The Taliban for years procured weapons and ammunition from the black market. They also captured arms and equipment from the battlefield and abandoned military posts. The recent collapse of the Afghan military has created an arms bonanza for the militants.