Pakistani journo accuses firm of promoting US gear from Afghanistan

After the fleeing Afghan forces and the US navy had left behind high-grade navy weapons and equipment in Afghanistan after the Taliban captured the nation, allegations have now surfaced on social media that Pakistani merchants are promoting them out there. A Pakistani journalist claimed that navy vests marketed by Pakistan primarily based firm had been truly American navy vests left behind in Afghanistan, however the firm has denied the allegations and have claimed that they manufacture the merchandise in Pakistan itself.
On Sunday (September 12), Pakistani journalist Hamza Azhar Salam claimed that Afghan and Pakistani merchants have been making a great deal of cash by promoting the navy gear deserted by the American troops. “Getting ads for American military vests on Instagram for sale in PKR. Seems like they left a lot of stuff which now has to be sold,” Salam stated. He added, “Afghan and Pakistani traders dealing in such items are making a killing according to many news reports and sources.”
Screengrab of the tweet
Hamza Azhar Salam shared three screenshots of an Instagram commercial, run by a web page titled Specter Defense (@specter.protection). The web page, which identifies itself as an outside and sporting items firm, boasts 1.4K followers on the social media web site. As per its Instagram account, Specter Defense has been promoting ‘Breached Vest’ for PKR 7000, Buddy Coyote USA model for PKR 18000 and Military Model 1 vest (Local Version) for PKR 9000. According to WHOIS, the area is registered within the identify of 1 Khadija Batool in Pakistan.
Screengrab of the Instagram account of Specter Defense
Specter Defense rejects claims, says their merchandise are made in Pakistan
However, the corporate has denied the claims that they’re promoting objects left behind by American forces in Afghanistan and claims that they manufacture the gear seen within the adverts. In an e-mail response, Specter Defense claimed that the merchandise bought by the corporate are made in Pakistan. It claimed, “We understand this stuff is new for most Pakistanis and keeping in view the current situation across the border a common man or a journalist who has no background knowledge would straight come to the point of conclusion without any in-depth analyses or confirmation. We are proudly producing all our gear in Pakistan.”
Furthermore, it claimed, “Our international presence started in Feb 2020 with exports to the US, France, Canada, and some other countries of Europe and we recently introduced our products to the local community. Keep that in mind these products are not for general wear or in some cases protection but more for training at range and sports. We are offering these products to LEAs and security forces as well.”
Screengrab of the e-mail by Specter Defense
It can be essential to notice that the Instagram account of Specter Defense has been posting the photographs of the vests since May this 12 months, months earlier than US forces had left Afghanistan. Its Facebook account additionally had posted photographs of comparable objects a lot earlier. The firm even have an internet site showcasing its merchandise. Therefore, it may be concluded that the corporate truly manufactures the objects it’s promoting, and they don’t seem to be the objects left by US forces in Afghanistan, as claimed by the Pakistani journalist.
It can be notable that Afghanistan is dominated by the Taliban now, which has captured all of the navy and different objects left behind by Afghan forces, lots of which had been provided by Americans. Therefore it’s unlikely that the Taliban will permit the sale of the objects within the open market. Even although the Taliban has deep relations with Pakitan, the potential for a small Pakistani accessing American gear in Afghanistan may be very slim.
US left behind weapons, ammunition; Pakistan vowed to reorganise Taliban navy
After the seize of Afghanistan, a lot of biometric units, together with weapons, automobiles, and ammunition left behind by American and fleeing Afghan forces had been captured by the Taliban. With the US-built navy units, the Taliban now probably has the entry to the biometric database of Afghans. Some units that saved native copies for such databases grew to become simply accessible to the brand new Taliban regime.
Earlier, citing a top-level Pakistan official, Reuters reported that the Pakistanis had determined to ship safety and intelligence officers, together with the top of the highly effective Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) company, to Afghanistan to assist the Taliban reorganise their navy. Pakistan meant to assist the novel Islamic outfit to re-organise its military and in addition present crucial coaching to the Taliban, largely made up of Pashtun fighters educated in Pakistan madrasas.