KABUL -- Afghan commando forces seized Iranian-made weapons and explosives, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) uniforms, from a Taliban base in Herat province, local security forces say.
The raid on February 23 targeted the Taliban military chief for Herat province, Mullah Tor Jan, in Musakhail village, Adraskan district, near the Iranian border.
Afghan National Army (ANA) commandos destroyed the Taliban base in the aerial and ground operation, but Taliban fighters already had fled the area, a senior security official in Herat told Salaam Times on condition of anonymity.
"Hand grenades, weapons with scopes and explosives made in Iran were seized in the base," the official said. "The Taliban were using these weapons and explosives against security forces and civilians."
"A number of maps detailing operations targeting military posts, district centres and other parts of Herat province were obtained," he said. "These maps have been seized along with IRGC uniforms and Iranian-made weapons."
The seizure of IRGC uniforms on a Taliban base indicates that members of the Iranian military have come to Herat to help the Taliban, said another senior government official in Herat who asked to remain anonymous.
"Maps show that Taliban operations in Herat province are being planned by the IRGC," he said.
Security forces destroyed this key Taliban base in a mountainous area in Adraskan district after 15 years of activity there by the Taliban, he added.
Iran's support for the Taliban
Iran is directly involved in all destabilising activities the Taliban are committing in the western region, said Abdul Sattar Hussaini, a member of the Wolesi Jirga representing Farah province.
A Wolesi Jirga delegation that assessed the security situation in Herat on January 10 determined that the Iranian government is supporting 22 terrorist groups in the province.
Based on the delegation's findings, these terrorist groups are involved in attacks on security forces, targeted assassinations, abductions and armed robberies.
"The Iranian government supplies weapons and money to the Taliban in the western region [of Afghanistan], and the Taliban attack security forces or destroy infrastructure at the request of the IRGC," Hussaini said.
Iranian weapons supplied to the Taliban have been found in Faryab province in the north and as far east as Ghazni province, he said.
Afghan border forces on January 19 seized a truck carrying 2 tonnes of explosives crossing from Iran into Farah province at the Mil 78 customs border crossing.
The explosives were hidden in sacks of flour and were intended for the Taliban in Bala Buluk district, an official said.
It was the fourth such incident in less than a year. In a similar incident in November, security forces prevented the entry of a truck loaded with explosives hidden in dozens of burlap sacks.
Iran's support for the Taliban is obvious; without it, Afghanistan's western region would not witness such insecurity, said Lal Mohammad Barekzai, a former military officer in Herat.
"In order to have leverage over the Afghan government and United States, Iran supports the Taliban at any cost," he said. "It uses these Taliban militants for its political and military ends whenever it wants."
The Taliban serve as a very cheap fighting force for the Iranian government and will do whatever Iranian authorities order them to do, he said.
'Safe haven for the Taliban'
Tehran's military and political support for the Taliban is widespread and the Iranian regime uses the group to advance its objectives in Afghanistan, said Hasan Hakimi, a civil society activist in Ghor province.
"With IRGC backing, Taliban commanders and militants move freely between Iran and Afghanistan," he said. "The Iranian government [IRGC] also transfers wounded Taliban members to [Iranian] hospitals for treatment."
The IRGC has established several military training centres for the Taliban in provinces bordering Afghanistan and the Taliban regularly undergo terrorist training by the IRGC in these centres, he said.
"One of Iran's main goals in supporting the Taliban is to destroy infrastructure in the western region [of Afghanistan] and to challenge [the] US mission in Afghanistan," he said.
In public statements, the Iranian government claims to be Afghanistan's friend, he said. But behind the scenes, it arms the Taliban to destroy Afghanistan, as it does not want peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Iran has become a safe haven for Taliban leaders and militants and Taliban members can travel easily between Afghanistan and Iran, said Behzad Hussaini, a civil society activist in Herat city.
The Iranian government has provided the Taliban with advanced and deadly weapons and continues its military support to the group, he said.
"All Taliban weapons equipped with scopes used to attack security forces at night, roadside bombs and other advanced weapons are provided by Iran," he said.
Tehran's interference in Afghan affairs and IRGC support for the Taliban have had dire consequences for the security situation in Afghanistan's western region, Hussaini said.
"If the Iranian government's open military interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan is not stopped, it could have very dangerous consequences for Afghanistan's security, especially in the western region," he said.
The government of Afghanistan has acted very weakly in the field of content production and media. Please provide information in the fields of content production, competition, invitation and spend money in this area. Now Iran, with its own media, is cheating the world, showing white for black, and leading the people towards Taliban, but our government is doing nothing.
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only way to stop this is to take on the daunting task like trump did and build a super wall between your borders with islamic crap republic and hell hole pakistan . pakistan imran is just for show or rubber stamp on islamic crap republic part 2. either that or create militarized zones. no use trying to spot them because they blend in like a grain of sand at hte beach and by they time they reach you its too late. a lose lose strategy.
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Taliban clearly said that they were seeking help from any foreign in order to defeat America and overthrow its puppet government in Afghanistan, and that Russia, Iran and other countries were helping them in this area. This is not something hidden, or the first time as weapons and armaments made in Iran have been discovered from Taliban. In the past also Iran made weapons have been discovered from Taliban many times. Therefore, the country’s politicians often say that the war of Afghanistan is a proxy war of other countries. This is not the war of Afghans, but this is the war of other countries to achieve their strategic goals. Benefits of this war go to others, but the harms are inflicted on Afghanistan. Hence, people want the country's politicians to stop this bloody war as soon as possible, put aside their demands and make peace for the sake of the nation.
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Well, now the government criticize Iran and says that Iran supports Taliban, gives them weapons, gives them training. Today Iran does this, tomorrow Russia will do it, while before it was done by Pakistan. The only reason behind all these works is America. Why Americans destroyed Taliban's government and why they came together with 46 countries to Afghanistan? It has been twenty years that this fighting does not come to an end. It looks as if all Afghans are Taliban, because Taliban are not ending. Iran is an Islamic country, it hosts two million Afghans and it has given them refuge during the war. I surely say that peace will come in Afghanistan only when America completely withdraws from Afghanistan, because when America made agreement with Taliban, then why it was dissolving their government, and made them fight against the poor Afghans? Only Afghans are victims of this fighting. 46 countries have come and has created a so-called NATO mission and they could not end the war in 20 years. Iran is an Islamic country. If it aids Taliban, Taliban may be asking them for help, and the government has 46 countries on its side and all of them are infidel countries which destroyed the Afghans. Americans brought Karzai from America, and made him president here, made the government and dissolved Taliban's government. Do you think this is a government? Taliban used force to gain power, the following day it was being taken by Hekmatyar, all Afghans were making compromise with each other, A
ReplyBoss! Who told you that Iran is an Islamic country? In Iran, not Islam but Shia`ism governs. There aren't even three mosques of Sunnis all over Tehran. Reconstruction of Sunni mosques is not allowed all over Iran. Based on the principles of Iran's Shia`ism, Sunnis are not considered as Muslims. Iran's government system is a dictator system which works only for promoting Shia`ism. Most of them insult the companions of the prophet. They misused the Afghan youth and still make them fight in Iraq and Syria. On the other hand, they mislead other Afghans for money and make them destroy the dams in the West of Afghanistan. Is it seems like a Muslim country?
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Britons have a saying 'so what?' meaning that so what if they are found? What can you do and what you want to do? It means that Iran's terrorist army has launched almost a direct attack on Afghanistan, and so far, they are continuing their interference. When they are continuing it, what is the way of solution? These weapons and ammunition should be brought to the ministry of foreign affairs, then Iran's ambassador should be summoned and he should be ordered to leave Afghanistan in 48 hours and the borders should be closed with them. Well, how you will close the borders with them, while more than 2 million refugee Afghans live there? What will you do with them? Iran's issue came just recently, you forgot that tens of times trucks loaded with weapons and explosives were seized in Torkham? Even now, money is not collected with the help of Pakistan's terrorist intelligence networks in each city of Pakistan to support the militants? Even now, the armed fighters' leaders are not sitting in Quetta's military bases? Well, so what should be done? So far, the international community only cheated Afghanistan, and as President Ghani said days before, they have deprived Afghans from the blessing of peace during the last forty years. Even now, if they want to end this hypocrisy, first they may bring back the refugees based in Pakistan and Iran, then they may give warning to the hypocritical neighbors that if they make a little interference, they will face its reaction.
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