By Smartencyclopedia (Military Series)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, has capitalized on modern weapons and sophisticated night vision devices left behind by US-led coalition forces withdrawing from Afghanistan. These weapons are being used to intensify attacks on law enforcement, posing a significant challenge to Pakistan’s security.
Despite an economic crisis and political polarization, the Pakistani government is also grappling with containing the TTP, which has been emboldened by the Afghan Taliban’s victory and now wages war against Islamabad. In 2022, the TTP was responsible for 89 attacks across Pakistan, primarily in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Even after a brief cease-fire, they continued their assault on the government.
Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have observed that TTP militants are employing advanced weapons and gadgets, previously owned by US or Afghan forces, to conduct nighttime ambushes. The TTP’s use of thermal weapon sights and other sophisticated equipment was evident in a recent attack in the suburbs of Peshawar, where three police officers, including a senior official, were killed.
The US Department of Defense reported that military equipment worth $7.12 billion was in the hands of the former Afghan government when it fell to the Taliban in August 2021. After attacks on two Pakistani military camps in Balochistan province in February 2022, former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad claimed that Baloch Liberation Army separatists had also utilized modern weapons abandoned by the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan.
The TTP’s propaganda showcases militants using modern American-made weapons, likely from the Afghan army, including M24 sniper rifles, M4 carbines with Trijicon ACOG scopes, and M16A4 rifles with thermal scopes.
The influx of advanced weaponry has placed cash-strapped law enforcement agencies at a significant disadvantage. The TTP’s use of night vision devices allows them to target police personnel, conducting operations under the cover of darkness while evading detection.
Experts suggest that the Afghan Taliban may have provided some of the abandoned equipment to the TTP in exchange for the group’s support in the Afghan conflict. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has attempted to counter nighttime raids by providing some volatile districts with night vision devices, but resources remain limited.
Security experts draw parallels between the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1989 and the Western coalition in 2021, highlighting the proliferation of leftover weapons to insurgent groups in neighboring countries, especially Pakistan.
The availability of modern arms has significantly boosted the TTP’s capability to undertake operations under all visibility conditions and has given them an advantage over poorly equipped law enforcement agencies, which are struggling to fill ranks and maintain morale.
As militant groups quickly adapt to changing circumstances, experts warn that Pakistan must address the influx of sophisticated weaponry and bolster law enforcement capacity to effectively counter the TTP’s insurgency and maintain national security.