Washington post reveals use of US weapons in Pakistan’s Jaffar Express train blast

The Washington Post reported on Monday that attackers used US-made weapons in the Jaffar Express attack. On March 11, armed assailants ambushed the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, which was carrying 440 passengers. They took several hostages during the attack, prompting security forces to launch a two-day operation to eliminate the threat and rescue the captives.

United States forces left behind weapons after their 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Security forces recovered an M4A1 carbine rifle, manufactured by American arms maker Colt, from the scene.

The Washington Post reported that the rifle’s serial number confirmed it was originally supplied to US forces in Afghanistan and later abandoned during the chaotic withdrawal.

“Many of the weapons wound up across the border in Pakistan, at arms bazaars and in the hands of insurgents, illustrating how the consequences of America’s failed war continue to reverberate years after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban,” The Washington Post wrote.

“After the Jaffar Express attack, Pakistani officials provided serial numbers for three American rifles allegedly used by the attackers,” The Washington Post said in its report.

After conducting an extended investigation, the US Army and the Pentagon confirmed to “The Washington Post” that reporters had examined at least 63 weapons that were officially supplied to Afghan security forces during the US mission in Afghanistan.

Jaffar Express resumed service on March 27 after a 16-day suspension caused by an attack from the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The train departed from Peshawar for Quetta, where Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam, saw off the passengers and offered special prayers for their safety.

Speaking to the media, the minister said the government restored the train service promptly on the Prime Minister’s directives. He reaffirmed the commitment of both the government and the Pakistan Army to defeating terrorist ambitions, emphasizing that they place national security as a top priority.