KABUL, Afghanistan — The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Sunday there is “clear evidence” that some Taliban fighters have trained in Iran.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal told reporters in the Afghan capital that Iran — Afghanistan’s western neighbor — has generally assisted the Afghan government in fighting the insurgent group.
“There is, however, clear evidence of Iranian activity — in some cases providing weaponry and training to the Taliban — that is inappropriate,” he said. McChrystal said NATO forces are working to stop both the training and the weapons trafficking.
Last month, McChrystal said there were indications that Taliban were training in Iran, but not very many and not in a way that it appeared it was part of an Iranian government policy. On Sunday, he did not give details on how many people have trained in Iran.
McChrystal also stressed to reporters that the Afghanistan fight will extend long beyond July 2011, when President Barack Obama plans to start drawing down forces.
In recent meetings with President Hamid Karzai, Obama “reaffirmed the strategic partnership, which is way beyond July 2011,” McChrystal said. “I think President Obama’s decision to begin the reduction of U.S. forces in 2011 really needs to be viewed in that context.”
However, the strategic partnership depends on being able to transfer some responsibility to Afghan forces, which are still plagued by a lack of training and distrust of the people despite years of training programs funded by the international community.
