Afghan Dismisses American Claims
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – Afghanistan’s defense minister on Thursday dismissed claims by a top American State Department official that there was “irrefutable evidence” that the Iranian government was providing arms to Taliban rebels.
“Actually, throughout we have had good relations with Iran and we believe that the security and stability of Afghanistan are also in the interests of Iran,” Abdul Rahim Wardak told The Associated Press.
On Wednesday, Undersecretary of State Burns said in Paris that Tehran was directly supplying weapons to the Taliban. He told CNN there was “irrefutable evidence” that arms shipments were coming from Iran’s government.
The State Department later appeared to step back from Burns’ assertion, but stressed that America has proof that weapons from Iran were reaching Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Tehran has denied the accusations. Wardak, who is attending a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, also played down suggestions that Iranian authorities were sending arms shipments to the Taliban.
“There has been evidence of weapons, but it is difficult to link it to Iran. (They) might be from Al Qaeda, from the drug mafia or from other sources,” Wardak said.
