US weapons complicate Afghan war

Weaponry provided to the Afghan military over the last 16 years has slowly trickled down to the Taliban through corruption and battlefield losses.

Armored vehicles, night vision devices, M-4s, laser illuminators and scoped optics have all found the way into Taliban hands over the years.

And at times the U.S. has been forced to combat its own armored vehicles and weapons.

For instance, captured U.S. up-armored Humvees are being used as suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, or SVBIEDs. This tactic has also been a favorite of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Mosul, causing coalition forces to supply anti-tank weaponry to defeat the heavily armored mobile bombs.

According to Maj. Kendra Motz— the spokeswoman for the 300-person Task Force Southwest — the Marine unit has launched “strikes” to destroy stolen Humvees, to prevent the resurgent Taliban threat from using them as SVBIEDs.

“There are reports of Taliban with some night-vision capabilities,” Motz told Military Times. A senior Afghan defense official also confirmed that some Taliban fighters have night vision capabilities.

Pictures of a few Taliban with older generation AN/PVS 7b night vision have also appeared on Taliban propaganda videos posted to the group’s official website.