Weapons bought and paid for by the United States for Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have gone missing, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released on July 28.
The United States also provided Afghan forces with hundreds of thousands of excess weapons, and the Department of Defense has no authority to recapture or remove them, according to the report.
The Inspector General concluded that due to the Afghan government's inability to account for or dispose of the weapons, that it is "concerned that they could be obtained by insurgents and pose additional risks to Afghan civilians and the ANSF."
The report comes at a perilous moment in Afghanistan. The New York Times reported on July 26 that Taliban fighters are making key advances near Kabul, beyond their strongholds.