Pakistan extremists launch attacks with US weapons left in Afghanistan

▶ Tahrik-e-Taliban among militant groups that have obtained advanced technology since fall of Kabul

Advanced weapons and technology left behind by US and Nato troops during their withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 have been used by militants in Pakistan to attack police and soldiers, security officials have said.

The Tahrik-e-Taliban and Baloch militants are among the groups that have obtained modern weapons used in the conflict in Afghanistan.

Experts have said the influx of arms has led to a sharp rise in attacks. “The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened and strengthened militant groups in the region,” Rafiullah Kakar, a security expert in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, told The National.

“The withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan has significantly reduced US air strikes in the region, allowing the militants to operate more freely.”

Militants in Pakistan last week killed six soldiers in a north-western tribal district bordering Afghanistan.

The Tahrik-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Afghan Taliban helped to bring about a four-month ceasefire between the Pakistani group and Islamabad last year.

But peace talks broke down, leading to a new wave of attacks by the militants.

At least 419 people were killed in 262 attacks last year, while 734 were wounded, said the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, a think tank in the capital.

About $7.2 billion worth of aircraft, weapons, vehicles, ammunition and equipment including night vision goggles were left behind in Afghanistan, according to a Pentagon report to Congress last year.

The weapons have fallen into the hands of groups including the Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Nationalist Army and Islamic State Khorasan Province, Mr Kakar said.

The military has been stretched by terrorist attacks on state infrastructure and opposition to Chinese investments in Balochistan, hitting investment hard.

In April 2021, nine Chinese citizens were killed in a bus explosion in Balochistan.

The attack was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army.

Police in the north-western region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said the Tahrik-e-Taliban used advanced weapons and equipment left behind in Afghanistan to carry out attacks.

The group used a sniper rifle with a thermal scope in an attack in Peshawar in January, said Moazzam Jah Ansari, provincial police chief at the time. Three officers were killed.

Police statistics show 118 officers were killed in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year.

The Afghan Taliban government have denied militant groups in Pakistan had access to abandoned weapons.

But propaganda videos from

At least 419 people were killed in 262 attacks last year, while 734 were wounded, a think tank in Islamabad has said

the Tahrik-e-Taliban show militants practising with modern US-made weapons, research group War Noir said.

A police officer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa told The National that operations were more dangerous because militants had weapons including sniper rifles with thermal scopes.

In a recent incident, officers at a checkpoint were shot at.

“The fact is that the militants can see us in the dark while we cannot see them, and this gives them an enormous advantage,” the officer said.

Pakistani arms dealers have said the black market has been flooded with sophisticated weapons since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

“Popular American-made pistols such as Glock, Beretta and Smith and Wesson 9mm can be purchased for $300 to $800,” said Arshad Afridi, a dealer from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.