They've been the chief beneficiaries of the American action in Iraq, and now they're pressing forward in Afghanistan as well. "Report: Iran Paying Taliban to Kill U.S. Troops," from the Sunday Times via Fox News, September 5 (thanks to all who sent this in):
KABUL -- At least five Iranian companies in Afghanistan's capital are using their offices covertly to finance Taliban militants in provinces near Kabul, according to an investigation by London's Sunday Times.Afghan intelligence and Taliban sources have told the newspaper that the firms, set up in the past six months, provide cash for a network of district Taliban treasurers to pay battlefield expenses and bonuses for killing the enemy and destroying their vehicles.
The Iranian companies win contracts to supply materials and logistics to Afghans involved in reconstruction. The money often comes in the form of aid from foreign donors.
Profits are transferred through poorly regulated Afghan banks -- including Kabul Bank, which is partly owned by President Hamid Karzai's brother Mahmood -- to Tehran and Dubai.
From these countries, the money returns to Afghanistan through the informal Islamic banking system known as hawala to be dispersed to the Taliban.
"This means the companies involved in funding the insurgency can cover their tracks easily. It makes it harder for us to trace the cashflow," a senior Afghan intelligence official said.
Iranian companies have been established with the intention of winning contracts funded by foreign aid so that donors' cash could be channeled into the insurgency, the official said. Western officials believe the network may have been set up by the Al-Quds force, an elite branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
The Iranian embassy in Kabul refused to respond to the allegations. But according to the Taliban treasurer, who has been interviewed by The Sunday Times, Iran is paying bonuses of $1,000 for killing an American soldier and $6,000 for destroying a U.S. military vehicle....
"This means the companies involved in funding the insurgency can cover their tracks easily. It makes it harder for us to trace the cashflow," a senior Afghan intelligence official said."
Obama must be so proud, his baby is all grown up.
Don't worry, I'm sure Obama is going to do something about this.
[/sarcasm]
"Iran is paying bonuses of $1,000 for killing an American soldier and $6,000 for destroying a U.S. military vehicle...."
and nothing to aid a single Pakistani flood victim....
Muslim priorities....I guess....
Talk about geting a biger bang for your buck. Woah!
Time for Iran to be glowing.
Glassy, even.
The article has an over-complicated theory. It is probable that Iran is giving cash to help Taliban kill U.S. troops. It is possible that Iranian backed companies are repatriating money to Dubai and Tehran, but it seems more likely to me that the companies are used as a front to transfer money from Iran to the Taliban directly and as a way of placing agents in Kabul. Legitimate money from a contract is more likely to be used for smuggling things into Iran in breach of sanctions.
The idea that the companies exist "so that donors' cash could be channeled into the insurgency" is just someone trying to get westerners excited. A Taliban "district treasurer" talking to a journalist is a source of propaganda, not of reliable information.
If Iran has companies operating in Afghanistan, I think they should be thrown out because a) Iran is known to be helping the terrorists directly and b) the companies are likely to be providing material aid to the Taliban. There is no need to invoke round-about funding routes to justify it.
And they told us that Sunni and Shi'ite would NEVER collaborate against Western interests! LOL
This is all the more reason why Afghanistan was and is far from the right war.
Dude.The US itself is paying the Taliban to kill US soldiers. Where do you think the millions poured into Pakistan goes?
Am I getting this right?
Americans pay Afghans to kill Americans?
Or
Americans pay Afghans, some to reconstruct the damage that they are doing with their bombs and some to pay the Afghans to kill Americans. The rest is paid by Iran in the form of rewards for confirmed American kills?
Dead or Alive - preferably dead.
Put a price on the head of Ahmadinejad and his Mullahs. Furthermore, prevent them ever leaving their country and taking the world stage to belittle us humans.
We will pull your hairy beards out - you bottom of the gene pool monkey mullahs.
I suppose a good lawyer will make a case for these idiots and say they weren't breast fed - hence their misguided views and sub-human behaviour.
Damn hard to come up with a plausible explanation that justifies their behaviour. Veterinary psych school would have a field day in this zoo.
Does Obama really know what he is doing in Afghanistan? Is there really anyone in charge of this war? It is completely up to Fox News to gather the intelligence necessary to conduct this war? How can this be happening and Obama NOT know about Iran funding the death of our troops. I believe that our military DOES know about this, has told Obama, and Obama has done nothing.
It is completely up to Fox News to gather the intelligence necessary to conduct this war?
There are a few at FOX who are honest reporters, but Prince Talal keeps them locked in the basement...
Rememeber ' Piercing the Corporate Veil ' of Daimler Co during Second World War.
Entire India is breathtakingly CORRUPT.
Only a couple of days ago I read in a regional newspaper with photographs how some (innocent looking oh so poor pathetic with frumpy clothes in some remote towns) Indians have been printing fake American Dollars for a long time.
One of them said " I am a computer expert..this is a very lucrative business for me ". The Police predictably were "aghast".
Awfully sorry for my typo!!
It should read INDIA is Russia's die hard willing paramour...not America as below.
" America is Russia's die hard willing paramour cum ally as most Indians are at heart communists. Hindutvavadis LOATHE America-Israel"
Americans pay Afghans, some to reconstruct the damage that they are doing with their bombs and some to pay the Afghans to kill Americans. The rest is paid by Iran in the form of rewards for confirmed American kills?
Afghanistan is one big pit of corruption...Anything donated or payed, gets sucked off in three basic ways...Enrichment of those receiving the money, support of Taliban, and whatever is left over, to reconstruction...It is the same money sucking formula used by Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt and the rest of Islamic countries that receive the generosity of American donations...After all that aid, what you get is 'death to Americans'...and taking money from Iran to make that happen...
"It is India that has been expansively yapping big about "reconstruction in Afghanistan"."
Umm... in contrast with USA? EU?
"India orders Israel to help"
India 'orders' Israel? Lol. Have you completely lost it?
"Hindutvavadis LOATHE America-Israel."
I haven't heard about any burning of American flags, effigies and so on. And Hindutvavadis are die-hard supporters of Israel.
India happens to be the most pro-israel country globally, according to a recent survey. 58 % Indians support Israel, while USA is a close second with 56 %.
I'm sure after endless summer 2010.
The U.S. sends pakistan a substantial aid package every year, more now with the flooding. The pakistan ISI supported and funded the Taliban since its creation, I think they helped create it. The ISI is Pakistanis main intel agency similar to but not link CIA, the operate inside and outside pakistan. Certain elements within the ISI still has ties to the Taliban. So, when we "share" intel and operations with Pakistan, there is a high risk that info can make its way to the Taliban and caused the death of U.S. troops.
I'm not too shocked to see Iranian front companies in Kabul. I'm sure that their objective could be to tie down the U.S. et al in Afghanistan while they make a military move on Iraq or Israel. The old, divide and conquer technique.
This is war folks! Why should anyone be surprised by the fact that Iran or Saudi Arabia or Syria or any Islamic country in that region would attempt to help the Taliban in their fight against the Great Satan?
When the Russians had their time in hell who was it that armed the Afghans with Stinger missiles and how did that war end? This will end the same unless America makes a significant course correction, gets more concerned about the lives of our own troops defending a civilian population that apparently does not want to put their own skin in the game, unsure what the game is and fearful of the horrific repercussions from within. Change the rules of the game and allow our American soldiers to do what they are so well trained to do; kill people and break things.
This would be laughable if not so tragic; the most powerful, best equipped, best trained military in the world acting as social workers in a war zone devoid of basic western culture, values or amenities. America is not respected around the world and the harder we try to "make nice" the more pathetic we become. The world does not respect us; a given. We know who and what we are and need to act accordingly instead of trying to put our size twelves into a politically correct open toed pump. If they won't respect us we damn well better make them fear us and we're not going to do that by pussyfooting around, handing out candy bars, MREs and radios.
The freaking Taliban and their buddies in Iran and elsewhere need a serious wake up call by putting as many of them as we possibly can in a permanent catatonic state in the shortest amount of time possible. Shock and Awe X 2! They're toying with us, using our inherent kindness, compassion and respect for life as a very effective force multiplier. In war you don't give your enemy weapons you take them away from the bastards. Let's get it on! Either that or we walk away with our tails between our legs defeated by an ideology and our own unwillingness to react with overwhelming force, still hated and disrespected and even more open to violent attacks than before 9/11/01. These people, the enemy, the Islamic fundamentalists, Muslims all if not all Muslims, are not going away unless they are decisively and permanently crushed.
"Again you make the same mistake in considering India as equal to America , EU."
All of them are committing the same naive mistake of trying to 'reconstruct Afghanistan'. So your logic of 'India is a backstabber, because it is trying to re-construct Afghanistan' doesn't hold.
Who is equal or better, that was no way related to the topic of discussion.
This shouldn't be any sort of shock to anyone.