A final report by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has confirmed that billions of dollars’ worth of American-supplied weapons, vehicles, and military infrastructure abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal have become central to the Taliban’s security apparatus. The report, released this week, reinforces growing concerns that the equipment left behind has not only strengthened the Taliban but also made its way into the hands of militant outfits operating in Pakistan.
Parallel assessments by UN monitoring teams and a Washington Post investigation support SIGAR’s findings, indicating that US-origin weapons are now circulating among fighters of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani authorities quoted in the Washington Post said at least 63 seized weapons match serial numbers of those originally provided to Afghan forces by Washington, and that many of these rifles are “significantly superior” to the weaponry previously used by TTP militants.
The 137-page SIGAR report outlines the scale of the US effort in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021, during which Congress allocated approximately $144.7 billion to rebuild the country and support a democratic transition — a project the watchdog concludes ultimately “delivered neither.” The abrupt collapse of the Afghan government in August 2021 left the US with no ability to monitor or reclaim equipment provided to Afghan forces. The Pentagon has confirmed that $7.1bn worth of weaponry, including thousands of vehicles, hundreds of thousands of small arms, night-vision devices, and over 160 aircraft, remained in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal.
According to the UN’s 36th Monitoring Report (2025), the TTP now maintains an estimated 6,000 fighters across several Afghan provinces and continues to receive “logistical and substantial support” from the Taliban. UN representatives have previously detailed Taliban-provided safe houses, weapons permits and freedom of movement for TTP leaders. SIGAR’s own quarterly assessments for 2025 cite multiple cross-border attacks attributed to TTP, including an assault in South Waziristan that killed 16 Pakistani security personnel.
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The report also revisits the extent of US investment in Afghanistan’s security sector. Between 2002 and June 2025, Washington spent $31.2bn on equipment, infrastructure and transport for Afghan forces, including 96,000 vehicles, 427,000 weapons, 17,400 night-vision devices and 162 aircraft. Another $11.5bn was used to construct bases and training centres, most of which are now under Taliban control or inaccessible to US personnel.
According to the Washington Post, serial numbers of at least 63 seized weapons inside Pakistan match those originally supplied by Washington to Afghan forces.https://t.co/YwLOB8Et5C
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 7, 2025
SIGAR concludes that flawed assumptions, misplaced trust in “corrupt, human-rights-abusing powerbrokers,” and weak oversight undermined the two-decade project, resulting in an estimated $26–29.2bn lost to waste, fraud and abuse. With tens of thousands of Afghan lives lost and more than 2,450 US troops killed, the watchdog warns that the Afghanistan experience should serve as a cautionary lesson for future state-building efforts.
Despite the collapse of the Afghan government, the US remains Afghanistan’s largest donor, having provided over $3.83bn in humanitarian and development assistance since August 2021 — underscoring the enduring challenge of balancing humanitarian needs with security concerns.
