ISLAMABAD: Terrorists who attacked a passenger train in Pakistan’s south-western Balochistan province last month used weapons left behind by the US forces during their abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a report by The Washington Post published on Monday.
On March 11, the Jaffar Express was ambushed by banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists with 440 passengers on board.
The attackers opened fire and took hostages, prompting security forces to launch a two-day clearance operation.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, announced on March 12 that the operation had been completed. He confirmed that all 33 terrorists involved in the attack were killed during the operation.
The Washington Post said that an M4A1 carbine rifle manufactured by American company Colt was recovered from the site of the attack.
The rifle’s serial number showed that it was part of billions of dollars worth of arms sent to US forces in Afghanistan, who abandoned much of their equipment when withdrawing in 2021.
“Many of the weapons wound up across the border in Pakistan, at arms bazaars and in the hands of insurgents, illustrating how the consequences of America’s failed war continue to reverberate years after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban,” The Washington Post wrote.
Weapons originally supplied by the US to help stabilise Afghanistan — including rifles, machine guns, and night-vision goggles — are now reportedly being used by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups to carry out attacks, according to The Washington Post, citing weapons dealers and government officials.
After months of inquiries, the US Army and the Pentagon confirmed to The Washington Post that 63 of the weapons that were shown to reporters had been provided by the US government to Afghan national forces. Most of the weapons were M16 rifles, alongside several more modern M4 carbines.
After the Jaffar Express attack, Pakistani officials provided serial numbers for three American rifles allegedly used by the attackers,” The Washington Post wrote.
“At least two came from US stocks and had been provided to Afghan forces,” the paper added, citing records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office in a statement in January said that “The presence of US advanced weapons … has been an issue of profound concern for the safety and security of Pakistan.”
“We left billions, tens of billions of dollars’ worth of equipment behind … all the top-of-the-line stuff,” Trump said during his first cabinet meeting in February. “I think we should get a lot of that equipment back,” said US President Donald Trump.
“His remarks have reignited hope in Islamabad that the United States will move more decisively to account for its missing military gear,” The Washington Post said.
Afghan interim government’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has said these weapons are now the property of Afghanistan.
According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), over $7 billion worth of US-supplied military equipment remained in Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control in August 2021.
“The US military had an uneven record of keeping track of weapons provided to the Afghans, SIGAR concluded, which was exacerbated by its ‘abrupt and uncoordinated’ withdrawal,” The Washington Post added.
The paper added that under then-President Joe Biden, US officials refused to accept responsibility.
“The Defence Department provided weapons and equipment after ‘careful end-user considerations including risks of enemy capture,” The Washington Post wrote.
