Taliban say they seized 525 weapons at Torkham border crossing

The Taliban Interior Ministry announced that security forces seized 525 weapons and a large quantity of ammunition at the Torkham border crossing, which had been brought into Afghanistan from Pakistan. According to a statement released on Saturday, Feb. 21, the weapons were hidden in two vehicles carrying returning Afghans.

The seized items included 27,000 rounds of ammunition, 10 M-4 rifles, 10 lasers, 10 cameras, 17 TT pistols, one Kalashnikov, and 497 various pistols and other equipment, the ministry said. Amu TV reported additional items discovered: 200 packs of Premika, 10 ampoules, and other military gear.

Two individuals were arrested in connection with the incident, with Amu TV specifying one Afghan citizen and one Pakistani citizen. Investigations are ongoing, the Taliban said.

Pakistani authorities have not commented on the claim of weapons being transported from their territory into Afghanistan. Separately, Amu TV noted that Pakistan's army has warned that militants have access to U.S.-leftover weapons in Afghanistan and has accused groups like the Pakistani Taliban of using smuggled arms from Afghanistan for attacks in Pakistan. According to a Pentagon report cited by Amu TV, over 300,000 of the 427,000 weapons provided to the former Afghan army remained in the country after the U.S. withdrawal.

The Torkham crossing, a key Afghanistan-Pakistan border point, has been largely restricted amid heightened tensions and clashes, currently used mainly for deporting undocumented Afghan migrants and delivering humanitarian aid.