More than three years after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the debate over the military equipment left behind has resurfaced. With Pakistan urging Washington to address the flow of American-made arms now in Taliban hands, calls have intensified for the return or reclamation of these weapons. But the argument that the United States should reclaim what it left behind ignores the larger reality: these weapons are now Afghan state property, and more importantly, America owes far more to Afghanistan than the other way around.
The chaotic withdrawal in August 2021 was not just the end of a two-decade war—it marked the collapse of a Western project that left Afghanistan shattered. Over 114,000 Afghans were killed or wounded during the conflict, including thousands of civilians. More than 5.7 million were displaced. Schools, hospitals, roads, and government buildings were either destroyed or rendered useless. The environmental toll included contamination from unexploded ordnance and irreparable damage to farmland.
In total, an estimated $7 billion worth of military hardware — 78 aircraft, 40,000 vehicles, 300,000 weapons, and other equipment — was left behind. While the Pentagon claims much of it was designated for the now-defunct Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, in practice, it became the spoils of war following the Taliban’s takeover.
The Taliban has repeatedly said that these weapons are now part of the Afghan state’s assets. Regardless of one’s view of the group’s legitimacy, the reality is that the United States relinquished control when it exited Kabul. In international conflicts, abandoned military equipment often becomes the property of those who control the territory. The situation in Afghanistan is no different.
Pakistan’s concerns about weapons appearing in Kashmir or being transferred to regional terror groups are valid, but they are also a consequence of the security vacuum left by the U.S. pullout. Washington’s responsibility now is not to demand the return of equipment but to provide reparative support to a country it left in ruins. Rebuilding Afghanistan — economically, socially, and institutionally — should be the priority.
Instead of pressuring the current Afghan authorities to return hardware the U.S. voluntarily left behind, the United States should be held accountable for the destruction it wrought. Efforts should focus on humanitarian aid, infrastructure redevelopment, and regional stability, not reclaiming military tools it failed to secure during its departure.
If America wishes to restore credibility in the region, it should begin not with demands, but with repayments.