Gun dealers selling American weapons seized by Taliban from Afghan soldiers: report

Gun dealers in Afghanistan are buying American weapons that were seized by the Taliban from Afghan soldiers and selling them to citizens, according to weapons dealers who talked to The New York Times. 

Three weapons dealers in Kandahar said American pistols, ammunition, rifles, binoculars and night vision goggles are for sale in the southern part of the country.

Dozens of Afghans have set up gun shops after they paid government Taliban soldiers for the materials. 

The Taliban amassed a large number of weapons after the U.S. withdrawal from the country and their defeat of the Afghan military. 

Pentagon officials have said all advanced weaponry was disabled before troops left, but thousands of weapons were still available for the Taliban, according to the Times.

The Taliban has sold some of the weapons to gun dealers since combat has largely ended and they do not need them all.

Some gun dealers have even run the weapons to Pakistan, where there is more demand for American military weapons, the Times noted. 

After the withdrawal, 68 percent of Americans thought it was a big problem that America left billions of dollars in weapons in Afghanistan. 

The equipment was used for a U.S. training and assistance program for Afghan security forces, who were quickly overrun after the U.S. left the country.