KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Islamabad has voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to reclaim military equipment left behind in Afghanistan, citing concerns over its use by terrorist groups.
Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that Pakistan has raised the issue after discovering that some of the abandoned weapons were being used in attacks inside the country.
“We have supported the idea that the US can try to get its weapons back,” he told reporters in Islamabad. “Our concern is that those weapons have been found being used by terrorists in their operations inside Pakistan. We have flagged it.”
However, he denied reports that Islamabad is directly involved in any retrieval effort, emphasizing that the matter is between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
He maintained that if Washington could retrieve the equipment, it “would be helpful for the overall regional security environment”.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than $7 billion worth of military equipment—including aircraft, armored vehicles, and weapons—was left behind following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. While some were removed or destroyed, much of it remained in Taliban hands.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration over the issue, accusing it of leaving valuable military assets in the hands of the Taliban. “The Taliban is now the world’s biggest arms dealer,” Trump said, expressing frustration over images of Taliban fighters wielding U.S.-made weapons.
Trump suggested that future financial aid to Afghanistan should be conditional on the return of U.S. equipment.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban have deteriorated in recent years, largely due to the presence of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters in Afghanistan and escalating border tensions. The TTP, which shares ideological ties with the Afghan Taliban, has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces, further raising Islamabad’s security concerns.
Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harboring TTP militants and supplying them with advanced weapons for cross-border attacks—allegations the Afghan Taliban has repeatedly denied.
