South Asia News

NATO report alleges Pakistani military helping Taliban

Feb 1, 2012, 3:39 GMT

Former Taliban militants attend a ceremony during which they surrender arms under a US-backed Afghan government anmesty program, in Pashtun Zarghun district of Herat, Afghanistan, 30 January 2012. EPA/JALIL REZAYEE

Kabul - Pakistani intelligence is directly aiding Taliban forces in Afghanistan, according to a secret NATO document based on thousands of interrogations that was reported by the BBC Wednesday.

It said the leaked report alleged the Inter Services Intelligence knows the locations and activities of senior Taliban leaders.

A BBC correspondent in Kabul called the report 'painful reading' for the US-led international forces and Afghan government.

Pakistan officials have always denied having ties to the Taliban.

The BBC said the report was based on 27,000 interrogations with more than 4,000 captured Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters and civilians.

'Pakistan's manipulation of the Taliban senior leadership continues unabatedly,' it said.

'As this document is derived directly from insurgents it should be considered informational and not necessarily analytical.'

The document said the Taliban enjoys broad support from Afghan civilians, partly because of government corruption. It also noted that al-Qaeda's influence was diminishing.

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