PESHAWAR – Sophisticated military weapons abandoned by retreating US and NATO forces in Afghanistan are now openly for sale at thriving illegal weapons markets in tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghan border.
Those markets are where several militant, separatist and terror groups operating in Pakistan against state forces shop for their wares, evidenced in recent attacks on Pakistani security forces where militants used advanced Western weapons.
The advanced weapons threaten to intensify the already gathering security threat posed by militant groups opposed for various reasons to the Pakistan state. They could also put already deteriorating Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on a dangerous new footing, particularly if perceptions grow the ruling Taliban is funneling the arms to the militants.
Last year, Pakistani customs officials foiled a bid to smuggle US and NATO-issued arms into the country from Afghanistan. Officials recovered two huge catches of M4A1 carbine rifles, Glock 9mm pistols, Beretta pistol barrels and ammunition from a vehicle traveling from the Afghan capital of Kabul.
But other shipments of unknown origin are known to have gone undetected, representing a potent new security threat to Pakistan emanating from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Early February attacks on two military camps by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist militant group in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province put a glaring spotlight on the availability of US combat technology to...
Read Full Story: https://asiatimes.com/2022/02/abandoned-us-arms-fueling-militancy-in-pakistan/
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