Taliban fighters storm into the Kabul International Airport, wielding American supplied weapons, equipment & uniforms – after the U.S. Military have completed their withdrawal. Fighters celebrated with gunfire & chants through the night. #Afghanistan https://t.co/kyktWDxTrU pic.twitter.com/DM75FapxkB
— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) August 30, 2021
Mohammad did not just have weapons — there were accessories too.
White Taliban baseball caps with the Muslim proclamation of faith printed on them hung from the ceiling. The group’s flags were also on sale.
Another dealer in the dusty Panjwai market, whose shop was adorned with large Taliban flags and pictures of the group’s top leaders, had more potent offerings.
They included assault rifles — variants of the AK-47 as well as the US-made M4 and M16 — and even light machine guns.
The Taliban for years procured weapons and ammunition from the black market. They also captured arms and equipment from the battlefield and abandoned military posts, according to UN and Western monitors.
And the recent collapse of the Afghan military created an arms bonanza for the militants.
— Boom time for Afghan arms dealers in Taliban heartland
