How many American weapons the Taliban have seized: what can they do with them

Through the surrender of entire Afghan army units last week, the Taliban seized control of billions of US-made weapons and equipment, including small arms, hummers, pickup trucks, planes and drones. Writes about it Politico.

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However, in the current chaos, it is unclear to US officials how much equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban and how much it costs unattended at bases and small outposts across the country. This uncertainty about the status of the vast arsenal raises concerns about a regional arms bazaar that could be a boon for terrorist groups and insurgents.

“We now see that these weapons, once in the hands of the Taliban, will likely circulate in the region for many decades to come,” said Niels Duke, interim director of the Flemish Peace Institute. “Guns are very useful to them at the moment because if you want to control territory, you need small arms.”

Worldwide images of Taliban fighters posing in front of hijacked helicopters and light attack aircraft circulated around the world over the past week. These images show the proliferation of weapons, bullets and grenades.

“I have every confidence that some of this equipment will end up in the hands of al-Qaeda and other bad actors, it's inevitable,” said Colin Clark, director of policy and research at The Soufan Group. “It won’t just end with the Taliban.”

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Usually, when groups such as the Taliban seize small arms, there is no trade or sale of assets, at least initially, Clarke said. But it's unclear how many weapons and ammunition boxes remain unattended, or how desperate the Taliban need quick cash to switch to running the country.

This poses a serious security threat to the countries surrounding Afghanistan because weapons can be easily sold to militias both domestically and in places like Pakistan, said Guy Lamb, director of the University of Cape Town's Security Initiative.

“In these situations, gun brokers come forward and offer cash or valuable goods in exchange for these types of guns,” Lamb said.

The amount of US military aid over the past two decades is staggering, with $ 83 billion spent on training and equipping the army.

Since 2003, the United States has provided Afghan forces with at least 600 light weapons such as M-000 and M-16 rifles, 4 vehicles, 76 night vision goggles, 000 radios and other communications equipment, according to the Government Accounts Chamber. for 16.

More recently, over a three-year period from 2017 to 2019, the United States dispatched an additional 4700 Hummers, 20000 hand grenades and thousands of small ammunition and grenade launchers, according to a 2020 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Watchdog groups such as SIGAR have long reported that thousands of rifles and other equipment disappeared shortly after they were sent to units in the field, and the Taliban have long criticized the American equipment they managed to get their hands on, including special-purpose small arms. and night vision goggles.

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Artillery and mortar systems fell under the control of the Taliban. This could provide them with a huge advantage over any groups that seek to challenge Taliban rule, including the militia coalition in the north.

But utility can dry up without a working system of repair and maintenance.

“The Taliban will likely be able to keep Russian-made equipment operational indefinitely, while spare parts for American-made weapons will be quickly used up, if used at all,” said Justine Fleischner of Conflict Armament Research, a group that tracks the arms trade.

She added that there is a "high likelihood" that some of the abandoned equipment has already fallen into the hands of al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters, "given the chaotic situation on the ground and the connections between these groups."

The US government is struggling to take an inventory of all equipment that the retreating army donated, including how much was in working order when the rebels took over.

“Obviously we don't have a complete picture of how many weapons were there, but certainly a significant portion of them ended up in the hands of the Taliban,” said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

However, most of the more sophisticated equipment, such as aircraft and communications, is likely to fail within a few months. Even the Afghan army and air force would not have been able to service their aircraft and most of the vehicle fleet without thousands of foreign contractors to do the job.

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In the short term, it is unlikely that the Taliban will be able to operate any of the hijacked aircraft, and given the difficult repairs they require, the A-29 attack aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters are likely to have a limited lifespan without being connected to the US-funded global supply chain network. ... Dozens of A-29s and helicopters were delivered to Uzbekistan by Afghan pilots fleeing capture by the Taliban. What will become of these planes is not yet clear.

The Taliban have gained access to the correct caliber of ammunition, but after the millions of rounds of ammunition for American weapons eventually run out, they will likely find more on the open market.

“The Taliban have significant experience handling and using a wide range of US-made weapons, including heavy machine guns, mortars, howitzers and Humvees,” said Robert Muggah, director of SecDev Group. “After all, they have been buying, stealing and taking them away from the Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) for almost two decades.”

Between April and July 2021 alone, the United States provided ANDSF with over 1000 2,75 "rockets, 61 000mm explosive rounds, 40 900 rounds and over 000 million 50" rounds.

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