Report: U.S. Military Weapons Being Sold in Afghan Gun Stores

A report from the New York Times indicates that gun dealers in Afghanistan are selling U.S. pistols, rifles, and other weapons in their stores.

According to the Times, the items being sold also include equipment like “binoculars and night-vision goggles.”

The weapons and equipment were “originally provided to the Afghan security forces under a U.S. training and assistance program that cost American taxpayers more than $83 billion through two decades of war.” The Taliban actively sought out the U.S. weapons and equipment, for war-fighting, only to sell it “to Afghan entrepreneurs because Taliban demand has eased with the end of combat.”

On Monday, Defense Department spokesman Maj. Rob Lodewick said, “Since 2005, the U.S. military has provided the Afghan national defense and security forces with many thousands of small arms.” 

He noted that it is without a doubt that “large numbers of these weapons are probably now in Taliban hands.” – READ MORE