Pak’s ISI still providing covert support to Taliban: Report

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI continues to covertly support the Taliban in the border region, a United States media report claimed. The Washington Times’ investigate story also provided specific mohallas and neighbourhoods on the Pakistani side that are being used as safe havens by Taliban terrorists.

The report alleged that Taliban terrorists from Afghanistan travel freely to a Pakistani army garrison in Quetta where they meet with military and Inter-Services Intelligence officials. “We believe top Taliban leadership are operating from Pashtunabad, Gulistan and surrounding areas,” an unnamed intelligence source was quoted as saying by the daily.

Killa Abdullah, a small border district about 44 miles from Quetta, is another area where the Taliban is working with the ISI. Within that district, an area known as Chaman that borders Afghanistan is a Taliban hub, where terrorists operate openly and are known to local residents as Talibs, it said.

Taliban fighters have been spotted here along the road from and to Kuchlak “with automatic weapons either in motorbikes, or in four-by-four vehicles along with two to five companions,” the source said.  The Washington Times said that the ISI also conducts security patrols in facilitating Taliban transit along the main highway to Kuchlak, using a Toyota SUV that is owned by the ISI.