TTP and BLA, with full support from the adversaries of Pakistan, are jointly working to destabilize Balochistan and KPK. Using the US leftover weaponry in Afghanistan, these groups are wreaking havoc in different areas of Pakistan. Pakistan has made unprecedented sacrifices in the fight against terrorism in terms of precious lives and billions of dollars. Three years ago, the US withdrew forces from Afghanistan and left behind a spree of horrific terrorism. Since 2021, terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s border regions have surged, with TTP, ISKP and BLA exploiting the power vacuum and misusing the trove of abandoned US weapons in Afghanistan. Over two dozen terrorist organizations are currently operating from Afghanistan, making it the primary recruitment hub for ISIL-Khorasan (ISIL-K). The Biden administration’s messy withdrawal did not leave just behind weapons but also created a terror arsenal that fueled regional instability and fed the weapons black market intensifying terrorism across South Asia, particularly Pakistan. The current US President Donald Trump criticized the decision to leave behind military equipment worth $7 billion and termed it a “stupid” move by the Biden administration.
The use of American weapons by TTP, BLA and other terrorists substantiates Pakistan’s rising concerns over illicit arms flow from the Afghan side.
While Trump is right in calling for the return of US weapons, expecting the Taliban to comply is impractical and rhetorical.
The Biden administration’s messy withdrawal did not leave just behind weapons but also created a terror arsenal that fueled regional instability.
Keeping in view the non-cooperative attitude of Kabul the return of weapons seems unlikely. However, IAG should be pressured to act against terror groups present on Afghan soil, and maintain good relations with its neighbours.
The presence of US-made weapons in Taliban hands fuels their expeditionary ambitions, deepening fault lines in an already fragile regional security landscape.
The IAG’s unwillingness to address these concerns is evident in its refusal to take meaningful action, whether it is responding to Pakistan’s demands to curb the TTP or the US’s calls for the retrieval of abandoned weapons. This issue requires urgent attention, especially from the United States and demands a synchronized approach, ingrained in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) implemented by the UN General Assembly.
The world community, particularly America, bears the primary responsibility for holding the IAG responsible including imposing a restriction regime in case the IAG fails to honour its commitment under the Doha accord.
Stability in Afghanistan and its bordering regions can only be achieved if external interference is curtailed. In the past, India, through its proxies, destabilized the region, particularly Pakistan. Now, similar efforts are resurfacing, as seen in the recent meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in Dubai-the first high-level interaction since the Taliban assumed power in Kabul.
India has historically supported anti-Taliban factions, but its sudden policy shift is rooted in the Afghan Taliban’s patronage of the TTP and its failure to honour commitments under the Doha Accord. Through this manoeuvre, India aims to threaten Pakistan’s security from both its eastern and western borders while targeting Chinese projects within Pakistan.
It’s high time the Afghan government realised that lasting peace is the only remedy for changing the fate of the populace anxiously waiting for a brighter future.
The writer is a freelance columnist with special focus on issues concerning national security.