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Who is funding the Taliban?

Reply 20

ScotlandStandUp

OP

3

ch0c0h01ic

I can assure you that the IRA did (and still do) use drug money to fund their operations.

Perhaps, but not on the same scale as the Taliban, however they've had a lot of support from Irish-Americans and several governments.

Reply 21

steed999

9

Thos who say Arab states are still living in Hollywood movies! Arab states are fighting al qaeda on there own soil, why would they fund them? Places like Saudi, Egypt Algeria ect are fighting daily battles against Terrorists! If anything its America to carry on there war in Afghanistan or Iran to fight the Americans!

Reply 22

Apfel

12

If you believe DVD start-up adverts, the pirate DVD industry. :awesome:

Reply 23

anonymouz

14

Democracy

Pakistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, etc. It's not a resistant movement either, it's a terrorist organisation.

Wow, I've read so many of your posts and they seem so knowledgable, i'm quite suprised you said that.

Iran fund the taliban?
Pakistan? I know they have in the past, but now? Would be quite stupid. I know there are groups within Pakistan that might do - highly doubt it the state is.

A lot of people seem to think it may well be India. Might sound stupid on the face of it, but if you look at the situation in South Asia over the past 20 - 30 years and the India/Pak border etc., The fact Pakistan is supporting the west/USA (they dont really have a choice do they?) - the trouble the Taliban is giving them is stretching their army and resources. Only party to benefit from that would be India. Also an unstable Pakistan only benefits India and nobody else.

Even though the current conflict is being presented and thrown around as a religious one, I very much doubt it is the highest agenda on anyone's book besides the Taliban/Al-Qaeda. Everyone else is in it for themselves, their own economic and imperial interests.

Reply 24

Inzamam99

16

ScotlandStandUp

Fairly simple question, if we supposedly have their opium under control, then who is funding their resistance movement?

Pakistan used to during the Soviet-Afghan war and so did Saudi Arabia.

Is Russia involved or even China?

During the Soviet invasion, the US and many other Western countries as well as Saudi provided funding and sometimes even manpower to the Pakistani intelligence services. This was then used to strengthen the various resistance groups (Taliban didn't exist) and train their fighters. After the Soviets withdrew, the US lost interest but felt the newly formed Taliban would keep Afghanistan stable. The Taliban continued to be supported by Pak, Saudi and the UAE while the rest of the world lost interest.

After 9/11 however, the Pak intellgence services were purged of Taleban supporters while the country was dragged into the war on terror. As Saudi and Pak are very close friends, this effectively rules out Saudi- a country also battling against Wahabbi militants. However I would definitely assume some members of the royal family secretely fund the Taleban.

To be Honest my main guess would definitely be India (Russia hates the Taleban and China loves Pak). There are currently over 300,000 Pakistani soldiers and a million Indian ones on the Line of control in Kashmir on the 2 countries border. However with Pak, the number used to be 400,000. In the 1980's and most recently by supporting the Baloch insurency, the Indians tried to divert Pak. troops from their border. Most likely than not they are attempting to the same now.

Reply 25

Democracy

20

anonymouz

Wow, I've read so many of your posts and they seem so knowledgable, i'm quite suprised you said that.

Iran fund the taliban?
Pakistan? I know they have in the past, but now? Would be quite stupid. I know there are groups within Pakistan that might do - highly doubt it the state is.

A lot of people seem to think it may well be India. Might sound stupid on the face of it, but if you look at the situation in South Asia over the past 20 - 30 years and the India/Pak border etc., The fact Pakistan is supporting the west/USA (they dont really have a choice do they?) - the trouble the Taliban is giving them is stretching their army and resources. Only party to benefit from that would be India. Also an unstable Pakistan only benefits India and nobody else.

Even though the current conflict is being presented and thrown around as a religious one, I very much doubt it is the highest agenda on anyone's book besides the Taliban/Al-Qaeda. Everyone else is in it for themselves, their own economic and imperial interests.

You didn't read the sources, did you?

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=20660756&postcount=11

Reply 26

Aeolus

2

There are many varied opinions on where the funding is coming from.

http://blogs.channel4.com/snowblog/2009/05/14/does-saudi-arabia-still-fund-the-taliban/
http://blogs.reuters.com/global/2009/08/13/who-is-funding-the-afghan-taliban-you-dont-want-to-know/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5327683.ece
http://www.progress.org/terror03.htm
http://www.newsweek.com/id/173828

Reply 27

Prince Rhyus

15

I was under the impression that the Taleban and Iran hated each other - http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9809/15/iran.afghan.tensions.02/index.html

Reply 28

Grim_the_Reaper

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia most probably.

Supposedly our allies (Yeah right).

Reply 29

username156343

15

I've never thought about where they get their funding from before. Perhaps we would be more effective trying to stop the taliban from that angle. Then again if it's all a conspiracy with the US that ain't gonna happen.

Reply 30

turk1453

isnt the asnwer to this question simple? im not one of them anti-american but its usa of course. they are the ones who founded both al-qaeda and the taliban? they first formed taliban to fight against the russians as they didnt have the gut to fight them. then used them to enter afghanistan. the same thing for al-qaeda to enter iraq. not relevant but i dont think any big countries are ready nor have the gut to fight with each other. they will only use little countries like georgia, armenia-azerbaijan etc to show their power to each other. or scare each other in other words.

Reply 31

stainluss

13

Americans funded the IRA for years, thats what i do know

And then they ask for the UKs help with this?

Cheek!!

Reply 32

LG1

7

Iran (who are also funding in Iraq), India, Israel...perhaps Russia (to get back at the Americans)?
Most Gulf countries.

Reply 33

miv

NATO, USA and UK used to fund them until 1990 in order to fight Soviet Union. I don't think that Russia would ever fund Taliban since they worked as NATO agents in soviet times and since they are connected to the Chechnya separatists.

Reply 34

twl

9

We are funding the Taliban. We are also providing them the material for their bombs.

* Our troops guard the hydroelectric dam which provides electricity to the people of Helmand province but we don't guard the transmission wires and substations... the Taliban can thus tax the electricity households receive.

* International development organisations and reconstruction firms bribe Taliban to not attack them. They bribe them at the site where the reconstruction occurs and the supply convoys. The going rate is up to £350 per supply truck.

* The Department for International Development provides the population of Helmand province FREE wheat seed. The Helmanders all plant the free wheat and whamo.... the price of wheat plummets and the price of opium soara... next year guess what crop they will all grow? Taliban tax both wheat and opium sales.

* Department of International Development provide free wheat seed and free bags of fertiliser. The fertiliser is being used to create IEDs.

Reply 35

Aeolus

2

twl

We are funding the Taliban. We are also providing them the material for their bombs.

* Our troops guard the hydroelectric dam which provides electricity to the people of Helmand province but we don't guard the transmission wires and substations... the Taliban can thus tax the electricity households receive.

* International development organisations and reconstruction firms bribe Taliban to not attack them. They bribe them at the site where the reconstruction occurs and the supply convoys. The going rate is up to £350 per supply truck.

* The Department for International Development provides the population of Helmand province FREE wheat seed. The Helmanders all plant the free wheat and whamo.... the price of wheat plummets and the price of opium soara... next year guess what crop they will all grow? Taliban tax both wheat and opium sales.

* Department of International Development provide free wheat seed and free bags of fertiliser. The fertiliser is being used to create IEDs.

That is genuinely very interesting. Do you have a source by any chance?

Reply 36

twl

9

It's all researchable on the Internet. Much can be worked out with the exercise of little grey cells.

Or you can just read this.

Reply 37

ish90an

10

Saudi Arabia and sections of the Pakistan military and intelligence services like the ISI(was Kasab not supposed to be trained by the ISI?). Doubt India would fund the Taliban, we have had too many problems with Islamic extremists over the years and the growth of the Taliban into Pakistan will only create bigger problems in Kashmir, not to mention the rest of the country.