Pakistani Taliban militants are using US weapons and equipment left in Afghanistan to intensify their attacks against the armed forces, according to a report by Nikkei Asia, citing police and experts.
Modern weapons and sophisticated night vision devices were reportedly left behind by US-led coalition forces when President Joe Biden ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Kabul in 2021.
Last year, the militant group was blamed for 89 attacks across Pakistan, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
In some of the assaults, the Taliban allegedly used advanced weapons and equipment that had belonged to the US to carry out night-time ambushes.
Another coordinated attack in the suburbs of Peshawar led the police to conclude that American high-tech equipment like thermal weapon sights was utilized.
“By using night vision devices, militants can see easily and target police personnel, performing their duties in the dark while policemen cannot see them coming,” a police officer in the Dera Ismail Khan district told the outlet.
Police statistics show that in 2022, 118 officers were killed in terror attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone with the help of US-made weapons and equipment.
Taliban Denial
President Biden’s decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan led to the country falling to the Taliban with shockingly little resistance.
He said that US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders had already given up and fled, including President Ashraf Ghani.
The total amount of US military equipment handed over to the Afghan government reached $7.12 billion before it fell to the militant group in 2021.
Amid reports that some weapons are being used against the police, the Taliban regime has issued several denials, saying it does not have access to abandoned US equipment.
However, several videos show the militant group practicing with US-made weapons, apparently from the Afghan army.
The weapons include M4 carbines, M24 sniper rifles, and M16A4 rifles with thermal scopes.