Iran is pumping up the Taliban with arms and cash to counter U.S. influence in Afghanistan and serve as a bulwark against the Islamic State group’s advance.
Western and Afghan officials who spoke to The Wall Street Journal said the unique alliance comes as the Obama administration plans to draw down U.S. troops to roughly 1,000 by the time he leaves office.
“Iran is betting on the re-emergence of the Taliban. They are uncertain about where Afghanistan is heading right now, so they are hedging their bets,” a Western diplomat told The Journal on Thursday.
The newspaper also spoke with a Taliban commander in central Afghanistan who said Iranian sponsors are assisting him.
“Iran supplies us with whatever we need,” said a commander named Abdullah, the newspaper reported.
Iran denies that it provides military assistance to the Taliban.
SEE ALSO: Khamenei regime in Iran legitimized by Obama nuclear talks, dissidents say
One Afghan official told The Journal that the stepped up support was also linked to fears that the Islamic State group could become a force to be reckoned with in Afghanistan once the U.S. leaves.
“Iran seeks to counter Daesh with the Taliban,” said the official, The Journal reported.
“At the beginning, Iran was supporting Taliban financially. But now they are training and equipping them, too,” a senior Afghan official added, the newspaper reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.