Pakistan FM: Afghan Troops Sell US Arms to Taliban

Says 90% of Taliban Attacks in Pakistan Originate in Afghanistan

While US officials continue to blame the Pakistani government for the enduring Taliban opposition to their Afghan occupation, Pakistan has been increasingly firing back regarding US missteps, and the impact those have had on the Pakistani side of the border.

So while US officials argue that the Pakistani government is providing “safe haven” for the Taliban, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif today noted that throughout the 16-year US war, Afghan soldiers have been routinely selling US-provided arms to the Taliban.

This has been a recurring problem in the Afghan War, as the Taliban really are awash in US arms, both a product of sales from corrupt Afghan soldiers, and of Taliban looting of Afghan police checkpoints and making off with entire armories.

Either way, Asif says Pakistan believes some 90% of Taliban attacks on their soil come from the Afghan side of the border, and those Taliban are largely a US-armed force. That means when the US blames Pakistan for the Taliban’s continued presence, it’s going to ring hollow to Pakistani officials.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.