Pakistan, Oct. 17 -- A war may end with a withdrawal, but its weapons can continue fighting long after soldiers are gone. This is the deadly legacy Pakistan is living with today. The chaotic 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan left behind weapons and equipment worth USD 7.12 billion, which were seized by the Taliban regime. Large quantities have since been handed over to terror proxies operating from Afghanistan. Under the patronage of the Taliban regime, terrorist groups including TTP and BLA have used these very weapons against Pakistan.

The scale of the abandoned arsenal is staggering and explains why the threat is so potent. According to the July 2023 SIGAR report, NATO/US forces left behind 167,550 rifles, 41,500 machine guns and 26...