Arms Flow Between Iran, Taliban Escalating

Arms Flow Between Iran, Taliban Escalating
September 15, 2007 The Washington Post Robin Wright
An Iranian arms shipment destined for the Taliban was intercepted on Sept. 6 by the international force in Afghanistan in what appears to be an escalating flow of weaponry between the two former enemies, according to officials from countries in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The shipment included armor-piercing bombs known as explosively formed projectiles, which have been especially deadly when used as roadside bombs against foreign troops in Iraq, the sources said. The NATO-led force interdicted two smaller shipments of similar weapons coming from Iran into southern Helmand province on April 11 and May 3. "It's not the fact that it's qualitatively different, but this was a large shipment which got people's attention," a U.S. official in Washington said. This time, the arms were shipped from the western border of Iran into Farah province, a vast but sparsely populated area, the sources said, indicating an attempt to find different routes less likely to be discovered. "They're clearly trying to vary their routes and not get caught," the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because the interdiction has not yet been publicized. A senior Iranian official denied the allegation as baseless. "We have no interest in instability in Iraq or Afghanistan. We have good neighborly relations with the heads of state . . . .Why should we send weapons to the opposition?" the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized by the Iranian government to comment on the allegations. Iran, a Shiite-dominated country, has long opposed the Taliban, a Sunni group with different ideas. Their cooperation is based on common opposition to foreign and particularly Western troops in Afghanistan, according to the United States and officials from other countries in the force. "They're playing with the enemy. They have no love lost for the Taliban. The Taliban killed several Iranian diplomats. We believe it's about hurting the Americans and the international community," an official from one of the participating countries said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the intelligence. The Iranian arms shipments are a threat to the forces in Afghanistan but not enough to tip the balance in the Taliban's favor, the sources note. But the explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, can also cause psychological and political damage because the loss of two or three troops for some of the three dozen countries involved in the force could make them reconsider their commitment, the sources added. U.S. officials began to publicly accuse Iran of aiding the Taliban several months ago. In June, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns said there was "irrefutable evidence" that Iran was using its elite Revolutionary Guard to arm the Taliban. Other officials were more cautious. U.S. Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said there was no concrete evidence that the Iranian government was backing the Taliban. But he said it was possible that some elements in Iran were aiding the Taliban as a way of hedging their bets in Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, meanwhile, said it was likely Iranian officials at least knew about the shipments. "I haven't seen any intelligence specifically to this effect, but I would say, given the quantities that we're seeing, it is difficult to believe that it's associated with smuggling or the drug business or that it's taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian government," Gates said in June. Around the same time that the officials made their statements, the NATO-led force in Afghanistan divulged for the first time that it had discovered an EFP in Afghanistan. The bomb was found before it could detonate. Officials said they did not know the bomb's origins. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has played down accusations that Iran is seeking to undermine his government by supporting the Taliban. He has referred to the two countries as "brothers" and said that Iran has taken on a constructive role in the rebuilding of Afghanistan. Despite brewing tensions between the United States and Iran, the United States will grant a visa to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take part in the opening of the U.N. General Assembly next week, according to the State Department. Iran has submitted visa applications for more than 130 officials in the delegation. The State Department had to seek a special waiver for Ahmadinejad from the Department of Homeland Security because of unresolved allegations that he was involved in the 1979-81 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, when 52 hostages were held for 444 days. Some former hostages say he was among the captors, although other hostages as well as a probe by U.S. intelligence concluded that he was not the man pictured during the takeover.