Afghan Wikileaks on Iran

By Nader Uskowi

The Wikileaks Afghan war logs contains more than 90,000 entries. This blogger has so far read just over 1,000 logs, hence the risk of generalizing their quality based on this limited sample. But a basic characteristic is already evident throughout these reports: these logs are less intel reports and more a collection of stories, unsubstantiated or not, and rumors, as told by questionable local sources to the reporting officers and passed on as intel collected on the ground. It is certainly hoped that the intel as described in these logs were not, and are not, the basis of US actions in Afghanistan.

My particular interest were the logs dealing with Iran’s actions in Afghanistan. Few surprises so far, but some interesting items:

- Some 100 Taliban commanders, along with 15 Chechens, entered Afghanistan from Iran in 2009. They were tasked to conduct attacks, including suicide bombings, in Kabul.

- Existence in Birjand, Iran, of a training base where Iranians train Taliban and HIG (Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s) fighters. From same location, the reports say, the Iranians send to Afghanistan explosive devices and vehicles ready to be used in suicide car bombings.

- A 2005 report that the Iranians had delivered 10 million afghanis (more than $200,000) to four HIG fighters. The monies were hidden inside a Toyota station wagon for transfer into Afghanistan.

- A 2005 report widely quoted in the media that the Iranians were offering anti-government fighters 100,000 afghanis ($22,000) for any Afghan soldier killed and 200,000 afghanis ($44,000) for any government officials killed. [The report referred to “rupee” which is the Pakistani currency, but also popularly used in reference to the afghani, Afghanistan’s currency. If it meant the Pakistani currency, then the rewards would have been much less, at some $1,700 and $3,400 respectively].