American weapons looted by Taliban likely to be first used for violence in Pakistan before reaching India: Indian military officers

Amid inputs that the Taliban was supplying a huge quantity of American weapons captured by it from the Afghan Army to Pakistan, top military officers in India feel that these weapons would be first used for violence in Pakistan itself by the ISI-bred terrorist groups before they are able to make their way to India.

New Delhi: Amid inputs that the Taliban was supplying a huge quantity of American weapons captured by it from the Afghan Army to Pakistan, top military officers in India feel that these weapons would be first used for violence in Pakistan itself by the ISI-bred terrorist groups before they are able to make their way to India. Senior military officers said the weapons are expected to be provided to terror groups operating in India as well but the security forces are fully prepared to tackle those who would attempt to use them here.

"There are a lot of inputs that suggest that these American-origin weapons especially small arms are being sent to Pakistan. But the way terror groups have been emboldened there by the Taliban victory, there is a possibility of these weapons being used for violence in Pakistan itself," said senior military officers while discussing the Afghan war outcome with ANI. It is estimated that the American forces provided more than 6.5 lakh small arms including the M-16 and M-4 assault rifles to the Afghan forces in the last 20 years along with a huge cache of armoured piercing ammunition or steel core bullets.

A large number of communication equipments have also been captured by the Taliban from the Afghan forces gifted by the American troops along with a significant number of bulletproof equipment and night vision goggles. A significant number of Sniper rifles have also fallen into the hands of the terrorist group. Sources said a significant part of the loot of American communications and night vision equipment is also likely to make its way into the Pakistan Army.

The senior sources said the Indian Army's counter-terrorist grid in the Kashmir valley is fully geared up to tackle terrorists even if they are equipped with superior weaponry and survival equipment. The counter-infiltration grids are already there in place on both the Line of Control and hinterland in the Kashmir valley, they said. On the possibility of the Pakistan Army using the Taliban terrorists to spread terrorism in India, sources said a majority of the Army's senior leadership has faced Afghan terrorists in the 1990s.

"The Afghans are easy to find in the Kashmir valley and the locals are scared of them due to their atrocities against women and young girls. In most of the cases, the locals themselves approach the security forces to get rid of them," they said. In the initial phase of the Kashmir terrorism, Pakistan Army used a large number of Afghan and foreign terrorists for anti-India activities after they were freed up from the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan.

A large number of these were neutralised by the security forces who found them to be more religiously radicalised than the local terrorists. The foreign terrorists also looked down upon the locals who they thought were not good fighters when it came to launching attacks.