Arms Smuggling Dynamics under Taliban Rule
Situation Update: Afghanistan
Since the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have sought to tighten their control over arms possession among their provincial commanders, the men under them, as well as civilians, and to rein in smuggling activity. Despite these efforts, however, smuggling continues, influenced by local dynamics in the provinces and long-standing clandestine arms trafficking networks.
'Arms Smuggling Dynamics under Taliban Rule' —a new Situation Update co-authored by the Small Arms Survey and Afghan Peace Watch—reports on the recent field investigations in the country, and the risks for arms proliferation under the Taliban.
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Arms smuggling under the Taliban
This Situation Update was funded by a grant from the German Federal Foreign Office. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those
of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Download the full report and its references via the below link
For more, check out:
- Perceptions, Vulnerabilities, and Prevention: Violent Extremism Threat Assessment in Selected Regions of the Southern Libyan Borderlands and North-Western Nigeria—a report by the Small Arms Survey's SANA project and UNDP that seeks to better understand the dynamics of these risk factors in southern Libya and the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger, and Sudan, as well as Nigeria.
- Tri-border Transit: Trafficking and Smuggling in the Burkina Faso–Côte d’Ivoire–Mali Region—a Briefing Paper by the Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project, which takes a detailed look at the actors enabling smuggling and arms trafficking in the region, identifies the drivers of this traffic, and analyzes the impacts on local communities.
- Price Watch: Arms and Ammunition at Illicit Markets—Chapter 11 from the The Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers publication.