WASHINGTON: The final report released this week by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) confirms that billions of dollars’ worth of American-supplied weapons, military equipment, and security infrastructure left behind during the 2021 withdrawal now form the backbone of the Taliban’s security apparatus.
The 137-page report, which reviews nearly two decades of U.S. investment in Afghanistan, finds that Washington provided roughly $144.7 billion between 2002 and 2021 to support the country’s reconstruction and democratic transition “yet ultimately delivered neither,” SIGAR notes.
In this regard, Parallel findings from United Nations monitoring teams and an investigation by The Washington Post indicate that some of these weapons have already reached the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), bolstering the group responsible for escalating attacks inside Pakistan.
Furthermore, SIGAR attributes part of the spillover to the abrupt loss of access following the Taliban’s return to power. “Due to the Taliban takeover, SIGAR was unable to inspect any of the equipment provided to, or facilities constructed for, the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) following the Afghan government’s collapse,” the report states.
The US Department of Defense has confirmed that approximately $7.1 billion in equipment was left behind, including thousands of vehicles, hundreds of thousands of small arms, night-vision devices, and more than 160 aircraft.
Moreover, the consequences of this transfer are already evident. The Washington Post reports that at least 63 seized weapons in Pakistan match those originally supplied by the U.S., with Pakistani officials noting that some are “significantly superior” to the TTP’s pre-2021 arsenal. UN reports also estimate that the TTP maintains roughly 6,000 fighters in Afghan provinces and continues to receive logistical and operational support from the Taliban.
So far, Denmark’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Sandra Jensen Landi, told the Security Council that the TTP continues to benefit from Taliban-provided guesthouses, movement authorizations, weapons permits, and immunity from arrest, allowing the group to consolidate its presence.
SIGAR’s final review also highlights the wider failure of U.S. investment in Afghanistan’s security sector. Between 2002 and June 2025, the U.S. obligated $31.2 billion for ANDSF infrastructure, transportation, and equipment, yet much of it now lies under Taliban control or is inaccessible. The report estimates that $26–29.2 billion was lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.
Meanwhile, despite the collapse, the US has remained Afghanistan’s largest donor, providing over $3.83 billion in humanitarian and development assistance since August 2021. SIGAR’s report concludes that the Afghanistan experience offers a stark warning for future efforts to rebuild fragile states, highlighting the potential for unintended regional security consequences.
