ISLAMABAD: Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that triggered the US-led war in Afghanistan, the Taliban continue to use billions of dollars' worth of US-funded military equipment left in the country after the collapse of the former Afghan government in 2021.
A recent CBS News report from Kabul found Taliban fighters patrolling the Afghan capital in armored vehicles supplied to Afghan forces, while wearing US-supplied tactical gear and carrying American-made weapons.
The report comes as Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns over the proliferation of weapons and military equipment left behind in Afghanistan, warning that their movement into the hands of militant groups poses a threat to Pakistan's security and the wider region.
A Washington Post investigation published in April 2025 found that US-provided weapons originally supplied to Afghan security forces had surfaced among militants in Pakistan, including the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The investigation found that the US Army and Pentagon confirmed 63 weapons examined by the newspaper had been provided by the US government to Afghan forces.
The report also cited Pakistani officials as saying US-origin assault rifles, machine guns and night-vision equipment were being used by militants, while Pakistan's Foreign Ministry had described the presence of advanced US weapons as a “profound concern” for the country's safety and security.
Billion-dollar equipment
According to a US Department of Defense report submitted to Congress in 2022, US-funded equipment valued at approximately $7.12 billion and transferred to Afghan security forces remained in their inventory when the former Afghan government collapsed.
The equipment included military aircraft valued at $923.3 million, aircraft munitions worth $294.6 million and ground vehicles valued at about $4.12 billion, including Humvees and mine-resistant vehicles. The report also said more than 316,000 weapons were in Afghan forces' stocks when the government fell.
The equipment was provided to Afghanistan's former security forces rather than being simply abandoned by US troops. Much of it was subsequently captured by the Taliban after the Afghan military and government collapsed in August 2021.
CBS News reported that five years after the US withdrawal, remnants of the military hardware remain visible across Kabul.
“Taliban fighters patrol in armored vehicles once supplied to Afghan forces, wearing American tactical gear and carrying American weapons,” CBS reported.
CBS also said it spotted a Humvee in Kabul still carrying a faded Green Bay Packers decal, a remnant of its previous use.
The Taliban have displayed some of the inherited equipment during military parades in Kabul, highlighting the extent to which the former Afghan security forces' arsenal has become part of the regime's security apparatus.
Trump demands return of equipment
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that the Taliban return American-funded military equipment left behind following the withdrawal.
“We want the military equipment back,” Trump said at a rally in January 2025.
Trump has also accused the previous US administration of allowing billions of dollars in military hardware to fall into Taliban hands following the withdrawal.
The Taliban, however, have rejected calls to return the equipment, arguing that it now belongs to the Afghan state.
Speaking to CBS News, Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the equipment belonged to “the state of Afghanistan.”
“We are not in the business of doing transactions and deals on the assets of the state of Afghanistan,” Balkhi said.
When asked about the fact that American taxpayers had paid for the equipment, Balkhi responded:
“The Americans did a lot of things. Americans killed a lot of people, destroyed the majority of the country. Should they not be paying for that first?”
Security concern
The issue for Pakistan extends beyond the question of who owns the equipment.
The Washington Post investigation found that some US-origin weapons supplied to Afghan forces had crossed into Pakistan and were recovered from militants. The newspaper said US officials confirmed the origin of dozens of weapons examined in Pakistan.
The findings have reinforced Pakistani concerns that the legacy of the two-decade Afghanistan war continues to affect the country's security environment, particularly along its western border.
The Taliban have denied responsibility for supplying weapons to the TTP. The Washington Post reported that Taliban officials have maintained that the weapons are under the control of their security forces and stored in government facilities.
The continued use of US-funded military equipment by the Taliban, alongside the documented appearance of some American-origin weapons among militants in Pakistan, underscores one of the enduring security consequences of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.