| Who will bell the ISI? Not to mention the opium gangs... |
...the Afghan national intel agency...
(NDS) along with independent analysts have argued that cutting off international funding for the Lion of Islam group is crucial.
According to the NDS, although the drug, weapons and human trafficking are well-known sources of income for turbans and bully boyz inside Afghanistan, they also rely heavily on direct funding from Pakistain and individuals in different gulf states.
"Their first source of financial support is Pak intelligence, who provide logistical support to the Taliban; secondly, representatives from these groups travel to gulf countries and get money from Arab Sheikhs; and thirdly, their members work in gulf countries and send their salaries to support the group," NDS front man Haseeb Sediqi said.
Estimates put the annual income of the Taliban at around 200 million USD, which is thought to mostly go toward recruitment, weapons and subsistence expenses like food.
Kabul MP Shukria Barakzai says the coalition backing the Taliban hopes to accomplish the opposite of what the coalition backing the Afghan government wants. "The same way we have a global coalition for supporting Afghanistan, there is a coalition outside Afghanistan to continue the battle in Afghanistan," Barakzai said.
"When you look at the graph of countries who take the most advantage of conflict in Afghanistan, you can see that stability in Afghanistan would cut off their resources," she added. "Countries involved in conflict in Afghanistan have been taking military and economic advantage since 2001 through now."
Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa spent the day shopping for new underwear. Tonight was going to be a special occasion...
counterinsurgency experts agree that by interrupting the funding pipeline for the Taliban and other groups, their ability to pose threats inside Afghanistan would be greatly reduced.
"Without a doubt, if the financial resources are disconnected or are eliminated, the Taliban will not be able to continue their battle," military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhail said. "The less their resources are, the weaker they will be; major intelligence agencies of the world like the U.S. and Britannia and our Afghan intelligence can harm their resources."
| Good luck, guys. You'll need it. |