Security

Iran providing Taliban with 'advanced' weapons, say Afghan officials

By Ali

An Afghan government Humvee damaged by a Taliban roadside bomb is pictured on the Herat-to-Islam Qala highway on February 17. [Ali/Salaam Times]

An Afghan government Humvee damaged by a Taliban roadside bomb is pictured on the Herat-to-Islam Qala highway on February 17. [Ali/Salaam Times]

KABUL -- The Iranian regime has been providing advanced weapons -- including night vision equipment, lethal bombs and heavy weaponry -- to the Taliban, say military sources.

Several military officials on condition of anonymity shared intelligence and security reports from last month that say members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been leading the Taliban in Afghanistan's western region.

Mawlawi Mohammad Anwar, a Taliban commander who apparently operates under the auspices of the IRGC's Quds Force (IRGC-QF), smuggled three poisonous gas balloon bombs from Iran into Bala Buluk district of Farah province on April 30, according to one of the security reports.

The Taliban had plotted to poison Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers in the district with the balloon bombs as a prelude to an attack on a military compound, but security forces thwarted the plot, the report said.

A man looks at the ruins of his house after a Taliban car bombing in Herat on March 13. [Ali/Salaam Times]

A man looks at the ruins of his house after a Taliban car bombing in Herat on March 13. [Ali/Salaam Times]

As many as 25 IRGC members, residents of Iran's Khorasan and Zahedan provinces, infiltrated Shindand district, Herat province, on April 30, said another report in May.

They came with night vision gear and weapons and entered the country to fight in support of Mullah Najib, a Taliban Red Unit commander in Herat province, the report said.

The IRGC-QF has recently led major Taliban attacks in Shindand, Adraskan, Pusht-e-Koh, Chesht-e-Sharif, Obe, Pashtun Zarghun, and Ghorian districts, the report said, adding that dozens of IRGC-QF members have been deployed to Birjand, an Iranian city near the Afghan border.

The IRGC is prepared to enter Herat and Farah provinces to help the Taliban, the report noted.

Iranian explosives

The Taliban are also importing vehicles loaded with explosives from Iran into Herat province, a senior government official in Herat province said on condition of anonymity.

In recent months, the Taliban have carried out several car bombings targeting security forces in a number of districts bordering Iran, including in Kohsan, Gulran, Ghorian and Zindajan, the official said.

"These bombs were prepared on the Iranian side of the border," he said, adding that most of the explosive materials used by the Taliban in Herat have come from Iran.

Citing intelligence reports, Abdul Sattar Hussaini, a member of the Wolesi Jirga representing Farah province, said that more than 2,000 weapons of different types were smuggled from Iran via Dehana Zulfiqar and Abchermi areas to Herat province during the month of Ramadan.

Some of these weapons went to Taliban militants in Herat province and others reached Farah, Badghis, Faryab and Baghlan provinces, he said.

The weapons are highly advanced and come from a factory in Mashhad, Iran, he added.

"Well-known Taliban commanders, including Mullah Haidar, Mullah Daud and Mullah Noor Ahmad Shahab, have been supported by the Iranian regime in the western region," he said.

"The Iranian regime also continues to provide small drones carrying explosive materials to the Taliban."

The IRGC-QF provided the Taliban with rockets that they then used to attack security forces in Farah, including an army base in Bala Buluk district, according to Hussaini.

By providing rockets and explosive materials to the Taliban, Hussaini said, the Iranian regime aims to target the Kamal Khan and Salma dams and to disrupt construction of the Pashdan dam in Herat and of the Bakhshabad dam in Farah.

IRGC instability

The IRGC has been providing money and weapons to the Taliban to pursue the Iranian regime's interests in the western region, observers and members of the public have confirmed.

The Taliban receive support from the Iranian regime in Afghanistan's western region, said Farah provincial council chairman Dadullah Qani, adding that most western region Taliban commanders own houses in Iran.

"Iran's IRGC has an active role on the frontlines in the western region, and it has provided military equipment to the Taliban," Qani said. "There is clear evidence that many Taliban commanders have been receiving money and weapons from the Iranian regime."

Iran's interference has created challenges for Afghanistan's security and stability, especially in the western region, said Hasan Hakimi, a civil society activist in Firoz Koh, capital of Ghor province.

"The Iranian regime continues to maintain and strongly support its desired alliances within the Taliban terrorist group so that it can achieve its political, economic and intelligence goals," he added.

The Iranian regime's policy towards Afghanistan has always been hypocritical, said Hakimi.

"The Iranian regime has called itself a friend of Afghanistan, while it has continued to support the Taliban's war machine, enabling them to kill hundreds of innocent Afghans every day," he said.

The IRGC has an active role in all suicide attacks, deadly explosions and car bombings carried out by the Taliban across the western region, said Hakimi.

Do you like this article?

7 Comment

Comment Policy * Denotes required field 1500 / 1500

Iran will start interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs when Iran's interests are not taken into account in the intra-Afghan peace talks. That is to say, when hardliners and extremist elements come at the leading role of the government that threaten Iran's interests. In that case, Iran might deploy its troops in the western part of Afghanistan as a buffer zone against any kind of unrest and riot. If the Afghan military forces do not fight the insurgents, especially ISIS effectively, which threatens Iran's interests in that country, Iran itself may take action to eliminate ISIS, and recruiting militia is a good option to solve the problem.

Reply

Iran needs security and stability in Afghanistan as both countries have a long border with each other. Any turmoil and tension in this country can lead to negative consequences in Iran. The invasion of the Soviet Union and the instabilities after that sent about three million Afghan refugees to Iran, which caused great loss in resources and public services in Iran. In addition, Tehran is afraid of training of proxy fighters under the support of Saudi Arabia along its eastern borders. The country now hosts millions of Afghan refugees, and if war occurs in Afghanistan, it will face the influx of Afghan refugees in that country. Instability in Afghanistan will cause economic loss in Iran. Its exports to Afghanistan will be disrupted, and the exports of many factories and manufacturers that export their own goods to Afghanistan will be interrupted. Therefore, Iran should not try to cooperate with Taliban and other groups.

Reply

Proximity, geographical closeness and historical, cultural and religious relationships have caused that no other country can play a more important role in Afghan society than Iran. Iran has tried to increase its soft power in Afghanistan through direct foreign investments and the development of related infrastructures and transportations. For years, this country has also consolidated its extensive ties with key individuals, ethnic, cultural and religious groups which are inclined to Iran in Afghanistan, including Taliban. However, Tehran has not been able to achieve the same level of political influence in Afghanistan as it has done in its western neighbors, such as Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. In other words, Iran's influence in Afghanistan's military and political affairs has never reached to its desired level.

Reply

Iran will be isolated and face more sanctions from the international community. If it is proved that Iran gave weapons to Afghan Taliban and other countries, it would have violated the United Nations’ resolutions. According to a resolution of the United Nations, Tehran cannot sell or transfer weapons outside the country without the permission of the Security Council. However, in recent years, Iran-made weapons have been seen with Taliban and other armed groups. Iran, on one hand, wants to support Taliban and provide them with weapons and equipment, and on the other hand, it equips Fatemiyouns, the enemies of Taliban against them. It seems that Iran wants war in Afghanistan and does not like a lasting peace be achieved in this country. I am sure that Iran is involved in the recent massacre of Hazaras in Afghanistan, and it is not the work of Taliban. By doing so, Iran wants to provoke the religious sentiments of Hazara people and ignite ethnic and sectarian conflicts in the country. Instead of attributing the attacks on Hazara community to Taliban, the Afghan government should try to detain the perpetrators of this massacre and identify the countries behind these killings.

Reply

Difficulties arise for Afghans from every side.

Reply

The country and the regime of Iran is not a friend but an apparent enemy of Afghanistan. Iran is the great master of the devil!

Reply

It seems that Iran does not want peace in Afghanistan, but wants war and bloodshed to continue in Afghanistan. The Afghan government must sever all its diplomatic ties with Iran and ask this country to give clarity about providing weapons to Taliban. The Afghan government always accuses Pakistan of cooperating and supporting terrorist groups, but is silent on Iran. However, the fact is that Iran is more dangerous to Afghanistan than Pakistan is, and it has not spared any efforts from igniting ethnic and sectarian wars for the past 40 years. Sometimes it supports the Northern Alliance and sometimes it supports Taliban. For Iran, no group is important, and its own goals are important for it. The goal of this country is destruction and war in Afghanistan so that they can easily get the Afghan water in order to irrigate its dried lands.

Reply