Pakistan Buying US Military Weapons In Afghanistan To Beef Up Security: Report

Pakistan has witnessed a rise in cross-border violence since the time the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in mid-August this year

New Delhi: With an aim to strengthen the security against Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan is reportedly purhasing US military weapons from the Taliban, according to a report cited by news agency ANI. Pakistan has witnessed a rise in cross-border violence since the time the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in mid-August this year. It is carrying out major operations against militants in North Waziristan-the stronghold of TTP after the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

Infact, the US weapons which were seized by the Taliban after American troop withdrawal, are being openly sold in shops by Afghan gun dealers who paid government soldiers and Taliban members for guns and ammunition, The New York Times reported in October.

Under the US training and assistance programme,  the equipment were originally given to the Afghan security forces . After the US troops had left Afghanistan, the Taliban amassed a large number of weapons and selling guns in shops openly.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army's top officials have shared concern regarding the purchasing of weapons by Pakistan. According to the news agency, the army officers believed that the weapons would be first used for violence in Pakistan itself by the ISI-bred terrorist groups before they made their way to India. Officials have also raised concerns about weapons likely to be provided to terror groups operating in India as well.

"There are a lot of inputs that suggest that these American-origin weapons especially small arms are being sent to Pakistan. But the way terror groups have been emboldened there by the Taliban victory, there is a possibility of these weapons being used for violence in Pakistan itself," senior military officers told the agency.