On Wednesday, 9 April, Pakistan’s The News International reported that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has acquired FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, manufactured in the United States.
In March last year, the TTP released footage of its fighters undergoing military training with advanced US-made equipment. The video shows TTP militants shouldering the Javelin, which costs approximately £160,000 and is specifically designed to defeat tanks and other armoured vehicles. The militants are seen training with the missile, suggesting growing familiarity with its use.
The Javelin is a man-portable, fire-and-forget anti-tank missile that can also be deployed against buildings, bunkers, and even helicopters. Once launched, the missile automatically locks onto and destroys its target. The US military often refers to the weapon’s advanced guidance system as “fire and forget.”
After the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that more than 100 Javelin missiles fell into the hands of the Taliban following the US withdrawal.
A Pakistani security official told The News International that while there is no confirmed evidence of Javelin missiles being present in Pakistan, the real concern is the potential for such weapons to be deployed anywhere in the country if militants choose to do so. The official added that this situation underscores the Taliban’s failure in Afghanistan to secure leftover US military hardware.
The TTP’s access to Javelin missiles raises concerns that these advanced weapons could be used to target Pakistani military outposts or breach border defences along the Afghanistan–Pakistan frontier. Pakistani security sources have warned that the presence—and potential use—of such advanced weaponry by TTP-linked groups significantly escalates the threat level in the region. Analysts have cautioned that access to Javelin missiles could intensify militant violence in Pakistan.
This report follows a recent telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which the issue of abandoned US military equipment in Afghanistan was discussed. In an official statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Rubio agreed on the urgency of addressing the matter.
US President Donald Trump has also called for the retrieval of American military equipment left behind in Afghanistan—a move that Pakistan has publicly supported.
