Western and Afghan soldiers left it before they withdrew
Afghanistan is turning into a large market for American weapons, frequented by traders from neighboring countries
Large quantities of American weapons were left behind by American soldiers.
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Black Hawks were somehow damaged by the retreating American soldiers.
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Taliban fighters looted American armored cars.
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Amid the chaos of the US military withdrawal and the Taliban's seizure of power this summer, the militants seized thousands of US-made weapons and tons of military equipment while surrendering or overrunning government military bases.
With the Taliban in power, more American weapons and military accessories are now being openly sold in stores by Afghan arms dealers who have paid government soldiers and Taliban fighters for guns, ammunition and other equipment, according to arms dealers in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.
In interviews, three arms dealers in Kandahar said that dozens of Afghans have set up arms shops in southern Afghanistan, selling US-made pistols, rifles, grenades, binoculars and night-vision goggles.
The equipment was originally provided to Afghan security forces as part of a US training and assistance program that has cost US taxpayers more than $83 billion over two decades of war.
During its insurgency against the government, the Taliban desperately sought American weapons and equipment, but arms dealers say many of these weapons are now being sold to Afghan businessmen because the Taliban's demand for them declined with the end of the fighting.
They say many arms dealers have smuggled the weapons into Pakistan, where the demand for American-made weapons is strong.
The loss of tens of millions of dollars in US-made weapons and equipment is another costly consequence of the failed 20-year mission in Afghanistan.
It ended in chaos and turmoil when the Taliban captured Kabul on August 15 after crushing an Afghan army built, trained and financed by the United States.
Over the years, the United States has supplied the Afghan military with a wide array of weapons and vehicles, including M4 carbines, missiles, A29 light attack aircraft, Humvees, and ample ammunition for assault rifles and machine guns, according to a recent report from the Special Inspector General. reconstruction of Afghanistan.
For the previous two fiscal years ending in June, the total amount spent on the Afghan military was $2.6 billion.
Last Monday, the Pentagon acknowledged that a large number of weapons provided by the United States are still in Afghanistan.
"Since 2005, the US military has supplied the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces with several thousand small arms, ranging from pistols to medium machine guns," said Defense Department spokesman Major Rob Ludwick.
"We are aware that large numbers of these weapons may now be in the hands of the Taliban," Major Ludwick said after the collapse of the Afghan government in August.
Testifying before Congress, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the more advanced weapons US forces were using in Afghanistan were transferred when the latter departed in late August.
Pentagon officials said advanced weapons provided to Afghan security forces, such as helicopters and planes, were disabled before the Americans left.
In an interview with the New York Times, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said the weapons were not for sale.
"I totally deny it, our fighters can't be so dishonest."
"Not even one person can sell a bullet in the market or smuggle it," he adds.
He said that US-made weapons previously seized during the war "have all been listed and verified and are all kept and safe," but other Taliban figures confirmed that a large wave of American weapons had entered the market.
This summer, a batch of US-supplied weapons and equipment for Afghan security forces were seized by the Taliban as they negotiated the surrender of government soldiers and police, in exchange for Taliban promises to save their lives.
These weapons were stolen and sold in the market, and there are also other weapons that were displayed in the market which are the ones that the Afghan soldiers and police simply abandoned while fleeing.
Some soldiers and police sold their weapons and ammunition before negotiating their surrender.
Soldiers said arms dealers were paying about $1,200 for an American Beretta M9 pistol, far more than a soldier's monthly salary, at a time when many police and soldiers were not being paid or replenished with ammunition, food or water.
Dealers said that the American M4 carbines sell for about $4,000, especially if they are equipped with a laser sight or an under-barrel grenade launcher.
In return, a Kalashnikov assault rifle sells for about $900, dealers said, and a Russian-made rocket launcher for $1,100.
The pistols provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to Afghan police officers sell for about $350.
The merchants said that nearly all their transactions are done in Pakistani rupees and in cash.
An arms dealer named Ismatullah said he opened a shop in Kandahar province about eight months ago, after the Taliban took control of the nearby area.
Before that, he said, he worked as a traveling arms dealer, visiting government bases to buy weapons and ammunition from soldiers and police who desperately needed money, and who were fed up with the Kabul government they believed had abandoned them.
He said, "We used to work as a mobile team. We used to meet with many soldiers and government officers to buy weapons from them. After that, we would take these weapons to the (Taliban) and sell them to them, or to anyone who gives us a good price."
Arms dealers said the Taliban separately allowed its fighters to sell some of the small arms they seized when the bases surrendered or were overrun.
The rest of the confiscated weapons were handed over to Taliban leaders, whose fighters were armed with American-made M4 assault rifles and rode American Humvees when they took over the country this summer.
Today, merchants say their clients are Afghan entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens.
These Afghans are buying coveted US-made weapons either to resell in Pakistan, for self-defense, or to settle long-standing personal or tribal disputes.
“There is a huge demand for American-made weapons, because they work very well and people know how to use them,” said a second arms dealer in Kandahar, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared the Taliban would close his shop.
The trader said he has sold dozens of US-made pistols, rifles, ammunition and two-way radios since he opened his shop about three months ago.
A third arms dealer in Kandahar, who asked not to be identified because the Taliban had warned him not to speak to the media, said the dealers sold weapons the size of anti-aircraft guns to the Taliban this summer.
The trader said: "The first option is American-made, although it is a little more expensive than the Russian-made product, and there is a great demand for light weapons such as rifles and pistols, as they are easy to transport and carry."
Mullah Basir Akhund, a former Taliban commander living in Kandahar, said he helped the militants negotiate the surrender of security forces in the province.
The Taliban often sent village elders or other trusted figures to negotiate surrender.
Akhund emphasized that the collapse of government bases left the region inundated with US-made weapons.
He said, "There are many shops and arms smugglers roaming in Kandahar these days, and these people were always there to buy weapons, especially during this time of transition when it's easy to buy new weapons."
He said he recently met a Pakistani arms dealer in Kandahar looking for US-made pistols, rifles, night vision goggles, ammunition and other military equipment.
Arms dealers said the Taliban separately allowed its fighters to sell some of the small arms they seized when the bases surrendered or were overrun. The rest of the confiscated weapons were handed over to Taliban leaders, whose fighters were armed with American-made M4 assault rifles and rode American Humvees when they took over the country this summer.
• The militants seized thousands of American-made weapons and tons of military equipment during the surrender or invasion of government military bases.
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