Mohammad Razaq Yaqubi said that. He must be some kind of Islamophobe. “Taliban continue to expand their reach,” by Gull Rohm Niazmand for MCT News Service, October 20 (thanks to James):
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan The insignia on the door says the vehicle belongs to the provincial police. But the man behind the wheel is clearly a member of the Taliban.
The insurgents recently captured eight Ford Ranger pickup trucks from the police in this northeastern province that borders Tajikistan.
It’s easy to tell when it’s the Taliban who are speeding through the Chahr Dara district of the province. They blare loud Islamic and national songs from the speakers mounted on the roof of the truck and hug each other as they careen through the streets. […]
The Taliban have complete control over Chahr Dara. They have established their own brand of Islamic rule, and they can move around the villages and bazaars openly.
“We have control only over the governor’s office,” said the district governor of Chahr Dara, Abdul Wahid. “Outside those walls we have no jurisdiction at all. People do not come to the governor’s office to solve their problems they go to the Taliban.” […]
Provincial police chief Mohammad Razaq Yaqubi blames drugs smugglers for the increased presence of insurgents.
“The Taliban try to increase cultivation and production of opium in this region,” he said. “This war in Kunduz belongs to the narcotics mafia, which is operating in the name of Islam.” […]
One local resident, who refused to give his name, said he’s seen U.S. forces aiding the insurgents.
“I saw it with my own eyes,” he said. “I was bringing my cattle home in the evening, and I saw Taliban getting off American helicopters. They were also unloading motorcycles from these aircraft. Later, a local mullah whom I know very well went to talk to the Americans, and then the helicopter left.”
Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, dismissed such reports.
“The U.S is not supporting Taliban militants, nor are we expanding the conflict into Central Asia,” she said. “The Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and specifically instability within those two countries, is keeping American and NATO forces busy enough,” she said.
“As for rumors, I honestly feel it is a natural reaction by people as they try to understand the difficult situations they face,” Mathias said. “(Government and coalition forces) continue to combat destabilizing forces in the area and communicate those efforts to the residents of Kunduz.”…