Open markets:documenting arms availability in Afghanistan under the Taliban

More than three years after the Taliban's takeover and their seizure of the previous regime's weapons stockpiles, the de facto authorities have strengthened control over commanders and restricted civilians' and private businesses' access to arms. Meanwhile, arms trafficking has continued—likely with at least the tacit approval of low-level Taliban officials—and evidence suggests the continued arming of UN Security Councildesignated terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda, alongside efforts to acquire conventional weapons systems on international markets. This Briefing Paper reviews field investigations conducted from 2022 to 2024 into the availability and prices of small arms, light weapons, accessories, and ammunition at informal markets in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border areas, alongside qualitative research into arms proliferation dynamics. It finds that cross-border trafficking is more of a 'slow drip' than a flood, with both newer NATO- and older Soviet-pattern weapons still accessible in Afghanistan's eastern provinces and Pakistan's tribal districts. Diversion to illicit markets and the deliberate provision of weapons to various non-state armed groups remain significant concerns.