- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The US state department conceded that US-funded equipment valued at $7.12 billion were seized by the Taliban after the collapse of West-backed government in Afghanistan.
By: Shubham Ghosh
OBSERVERS have expressed shock that weapons used by Palestinian militant group Hamas in its ongoing war with Israel and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir against Indian forces are made in the US which is an ally to both Israel and India.
Videos were seen circulating on social media showing Hamas extremists celebrating with American assault rifles after butchering Israeli citizens and taking several as hostages, forcing politicians in western countries such as the US and UK to seek a probe into how those weapons reached the outfit — whether through Ukraine or Afghanistan, countries that are always witnessing volatility.
India has also complained that terrorists were using US-made arms and ammunition against it in Kashmir where cross-border terrorism is rampant even after decades since Independence.
As a logical conclusion, the US’s massive arms industry has come under questioning. The US is the world’s largest arms exporter and its business went up by 14 per cent between 2013 and 2017 and 2018 and 2022. According to a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute from March this year, the US accounted for 40 per cent of the global arms exports between 2018 and 2022.
The US has been known for its military adventures in different parts of the world besides providing aid in terms of weapons to parties of its support in conflict theatres. Those weapons have gone into the hands of the local forces over time.
In Afghanistan, for example, the US-led West became desperate to quit the country after staying there for decades after the 2001 invasion in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
Over the years, the military and political campaigns became untenable and successive American presidents tried to withdraw the troops. Eventually, the West pulled out of Afghanistan in a haste which not only saw the country but also American weapons and ammunition worth billions of dollars going to the Taliban forces.
In August last year, the US state department said in a report, “US-funded equipment valued at $7.12 billion was in the inventory of the former Afghan government when it collapsed, much of which has since been seized by the Taliban.”
The inventory included weapons such as assault rifles and carbines, ground vehicles and even military aircraft, among others.
Former Indian Army chief MM Naravane said in last year’s Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi that India was witnessing a growing number of military equipment from Afghanistan being captured in Kashmir. It was also said that Pakistan-backed terrorists in Kashmir Valley were using steel-core bullets and night-vision glasses abandoned by the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan. US-made armour-shattering bullets were being used against Indian soldiers and they were proving to be fatal for them.
NBC News also reported earlier this year quoting Indian officials that terrorists backed by Pakistan were using deadly arms and ammunition manufactured in the US.
Even Pakistan has complained about the menace. Last month, its caretaker prime minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar said various US military equipment had reached Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or the Pakistani Taliban which has turned into a major threat to the country’s internal security.
We need to work with Israel to track serial numbers on any U.S. weapons used by Hamas against Israel.
Did they come from Afghanistan?
Did they come from Ukraine?
Highly likely the answer is both.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) October 8, 2023
In a post on X, US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said the Hamas militants may have used US weapons for its ongoing attack on Israel. The Republican lawmaker also sought a thorough investigation into the source of the weapons used by the Palestinian outfit.
Breaking News Israel: US weapons left behind in Afghanistan used to attack Israel.
A high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander said US weapons left in Afghanistan by the Biden administration were found in the hands of Palestinian groups active in the Gaza Strip.
The… pic.twitter.com/AHCYpEIkcO
— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) October 8, 2023
British politician Jim Ferguson also tweeted a photo of Taliban militants with American guns and linked it to the Hamas attack on Israel.
“A high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander said US weapons left in Afghanistan by the Biden administration were found in the hands of Palestinian groups active in the Gaza Strip,” he said in his post.
On October 5, two days before Hamas carried out its attacks, the Israel Defence Forces tweeted a photo of an M-16 rifle they had seized from two terrorists who attacked a vehicle of the forces.
