Reports have revealed that Iran is apparently sending shipments of weapons and money to the Taliban.
Citing the Afghan and the Western officials in its report, the Wall Street Journal has claimed that the Iran's motivations for stepping up support for the militants are to prevent ISIS from gaining a foothold in Afghanistan and providing a check on U.S. influence ahead of the planned withdrawal of most American troops by the end of 2016, reports Fox News.
As per Taliban fighters, the militants receive weapons from smugglers paid by Iran's government who traffic the contraband through the remote border region where Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan meet. The weapons that they receive are mortars, machine guns, rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
Interestingly, Iran has denied providing any financial or military aid to the Taliban.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that this is further evidence of the administration's continued willful disregard for the facts on the ground in light of Iranian aggression in the region.
Moreover, it is being said that for the past two years Iran has been operating training camps for Taliban inside its territory, out of which at least four of the camps are currently operating.
A senior Afghan official reveals that previously Iran was supporting Taliban financially, but now they are training and equipping them too.
