Pakistan directly helping Taliban in Afghanistan: NATO

Pakistan is directly helping the Taliban in their fight against the elected government in war-ravaged Afghanistan, a media report said, citing a secret North Atlantic Treaty Organisation document.

The leaked NATO report, which clearly exposes the relationship between Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and the Taliban, alleges that Islamabad knows the locations of senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, the BBC reported.

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The NATO document is based on material from 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. Pakistan is aware of the locations of senior Taliban leaders," the document says.

It quotes a senior Al Qaeda detainee as saying, "Pakistan knows everything. They control everything. I can't (expletive) on a tree in Kunar without them watching. The Taliban are not Islam. The Taliban are Islamabad."

The NATO report suggests that the Taliban feel trapped by ISI control and fear they will never escape its influence. However, it states, "As this document is derived directly from insurgents it should be considered informational and not necessarily analytical."

A Pakistani foreign ministry official has reportedly refuted the allegations, saying, "We are committed to non-interference in Afghanistan."