Is Iran Supporting The Taliban In Afghanistan?
Martin McCauley writes: The growing military sophistication of the Taliban in Afghanistan has transformed them into a formidable adversary of the US-led coalition. It is a classic case of asymmetrical warfare: a huge, heavily armed force is confronted by a much smaller, mobile force which avoids direct military confrontation.When the Taliban were defeated in 2001, few predicted that they would re-group and come back with a vengeance. How has this transformation come about? One of the sources of arms and expertise is Iran. On the surface, Tehran enjoys good relations with Kabul but an increasing number of Iranian weapons have been finding their way to the insurgents. Is Iran playing a double game: on the one hand helping to stabilise Afghanistan but on the other seeking its destruction? British forces allegedly intercepted at least two shipments of Iranian-made arms in Helmand province in June 2007. Russian surface-to-air missiles, also seized by British forces, are believed to have ori
