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Afghan Authorities Accuse Iran of Using Taliban to Undercut Water Projects

WASHINGTON, NEWS AGENCIES, JANUARY 23, 2017 — Afghan governors in southern and western provinces charged on Monday that Iran is using an increasingly close relationship with the Afghan Taliban to target power and water projects on Tehran’s behalf.
Hayatullah Hayat, the governor of southern Helmand province, told VOA’s Afghan service that the Islamic Republic wants the Taliban to disable some of the nation’s dams so that Tehran can get a larger share of water from the Helmand River. He cited classified Afghan intelligence reports forwarded to the Afghan palace and the National Security Council.
“Iran is seeking to undermine the development projects over the Helmand River so that it can continue receiving more water,” Hayat said.
The Helmand governor accused elements in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard forces of providing sophisticated weapons to the Taliban that could be used to attack government installations and infrastructure. He said several unexploded mortar missiles used by the Taliban bore an Iranian manufacturer’s mark and were fired at the provincial capital.


The governor added that Iran’s intelligence representatives recently met with local Taliban leaders in Helmand’s volatile Garmser district.
Access to weapons a concern
Afghan regional officials say the Taliban has recently increased its terror activities in various provinces.
“The abundance of new weapons and ammunitions in Taliban’s possession has created many questions and doubts,” Asif Nang, the governor of western Farah province told VOA on Monday. Nang added that the Taliban can receive weapons “within an hour” from Iran, given the proximity of his province to the border.


Last month, Nang accused Iran of harboring Taliban families in its territory.
“Families of a number of high-ranking Taliban leaders reside in Iran,” Nang told Radio Liberty last month. “They live in cities such as Yazd, Kerman and Mashhad, and come back to Afghanistan for subversive activities.”
The Taliban’s former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan last year and was reportedly returning from Tehran after holding meetings in Iran.



 

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