US-supplied weapons used in Pakistan terror attacks, investigation Reveals

An investigation by an American newspaper confirmed Pakistan’s claim that American weapons given to Afghanistan were used in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

The American newspaper says that the US military and the Pentagon have also confirmed that 63 of the weapons shown to journalists by Pakistani officials, including M16 rifles, other modern weapons and night vision devices, were given to Afghan forces by the US government.

However, an M4A1 rifle, made in the United States in 2018, was recovered from the attackers after the Balochistan train attack last month.

The American rifle was among billions of dollars in US military equipment given to Afghan forces during the US withdrawal in 2021. The weapons later ended up in Pakistani arms markets and the hands of militants across the border.

The Pakistani officials have stated that arms dealers and militants, American rifles, machine guns and night vision goggles are being used in attacks by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups.

Last year, Pakistani authorities gave an American newspaper access to American weapons recovered from terrorists.

Earlier, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated on Friday that India was responsible for sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan, as he provided details on the recent Jaffar Express attack.

The attack began on Tuesday afternoon when terrorists from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Quetta-Peshawar train carrying 440 passengers.

Armed assailants opened fire and took hostages, prompting a military-led operation that lasted two days.

The operation concluded on Wednesday evening with security forces neutralizing all 33 attackers.

Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that no hostages were harmed during the final rescue phase.

Speaking at a press conference, Lt Gen Chaudhry stated, “The weapons recovered from the terrorists indicate foreign involvement, particularly from our eastern neighbor.” He further claimed that Indian and Afghan weapons had been used in previous attacks as well.

Providing an updated casualty count, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that 26 passengers had lost their lives, revising an earlier figure of 21. Meanwhile, 354 passengers were safely identified and rescued.

Addressing the broader security situation, he highlighted that “Pakistan’s intelligence and security forces have conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations in 2024 and 11,654 so far in 2025.” He added that the country was averaging 180 such operations daily.

Discussing counterterrorism efforts, Lt Gen Chaudhry said, “More than 1,250 terrorists have been neutralized in the past two years, while 563 security personnel have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.”