Iranian push in Afghanistan


The theocracy flexes it's muscles behind the scenes
The Guardian has the details.

As a hurricane of Taliban violence tears across Afghanistan - the latest suicide bombing killed 10 people in Kabul on Saturday - accusations of foreign support have centred on Pakistan, where fighters can shelter, organise and rearm.

But recently Afghan and western officials have started to detect a second, albeit far smaller, stream of support from within Afghanistan's other powerful neighbour, Iran.

Military and diplomatic sources said they had received numerous reports of Iranians meeting tribal elders in Taliban-influenced areas, bringing offers of military or more often financial support for the fight against foreign forces. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the meetings took place in Helmand province, where more than 3,000 British troops are based, and neighbouring Nimroz, a lawless desert province bordering eastern Iran.

Although the reports are hard to confirm due to security fears, officials say the direction of flow is unmistakable. "There's definitely an Iranian hand," insisted one western official, who said the phenomenon was being quietly monitored by western intelligence and militaries. A top-ranking Afghan military official said he had received similar information. "The Iranians were offering money and weapons. This is a very sensitive issue," he said.

Given the known involvement of Iran in the Iraqi "insurgency," it looks like we know Iran's gambit now. Can we make them overreach? Iran's other neighbors won't be so forgiving of imperial ambitions.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - October 4, 2006 at 06:18 PM  Tag


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