Foreign Office expressed serious concerns about advanced military equipment left in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American troops in August 2021, which would have been used by terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in attacks against Pakistanian soil.
FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the security risks posed by these weapons, stressing that they have become a source of concern for the security of Pakistan and its citizens.
In a declaration on Wednesday, Khan reiterated that Pakistan had continuously urged the authorities of Kabul to take all the necessary measures to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of the terrorists.
The American military equipment, which includes planes, air-to-ground ammunition, vehicles and communication equipment, was left the day after withdrawn from the United States coalition.
The Taliban quickly took control of a large part of the military equipment, further exacerbating the security challenges of Pakistan.
The question drew attention after former American president Donald Trump, during a recent public gathering, threatened to reduce financial aid in Afghanistan if the Taliban did not return military equipment.
“If we want to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them that we will not give them money unless they give back our military equipment,” said Trump, reiterating the position of his administration on the issue.
However, the Taliban would have refused to return the equipment and rather urged the United States to provide them with more advanced weapons to fight against Da’ish.
The United States Ministry of Defense reported in 2022 that $ 7 billion in military equipment had been left in Afghanistan, a large part of which was quickly seized by Taliban fighters when they swept the country.
While the American forces have made efforts to dismantle or destroy part of their machine in the last weeks of withdrawal, a large amount of military equipment has always fallen into the hands of the Taliban.
The chaotic nature of the American withdrawal has been strongly criticized. Although it was during the Trump administration that the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban for the withdrawal of the troops, it was the administration of President Joe Biden who concluded the agreement.
The sudden collapse of the Afghan government and the rapid resumption of power by the Taliban in August 2021 were spoiled by chaos scenes, culminating in a deadly suicide attack at Kabul airport, which cost the life of 13 troops American and dozens of Afghan civilians.
